Chaos in the Limelight
by JapanFan Kyoko
Summary: As the the last few matches of the tournament begin, Master Hand makes an almost fatal mistake. Boss of SMASH! News, Yoshiki Inukai starts to film daily life at the mansion, acting innocently to hide his plan... COMPLETE!
1. Hiding the truth

**Well, this my first attempt at a fanfic! Yay! Please R&R ) I'll be updating often so I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SSB characters.**

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The final day of the Smash tournament had dawned upon the Smashers. Someone who felt the tension most of all resided in a locked office at the end of a long, winding corridor. That was Master Hand. 

He lay in an awkward position; sprawled across a large couch with a dull pain pulsating in his thumb joint. But that was a minor detail; that pain was only caused by him leaning awkwardly.

An acute pain shot through his wrist right down to the end of his fingertips and he had no idea how that had happened. Slowly floating into the air, he looked down onto his desk where several papers had been stacked to the right… and an all too familiar piece of paper staring straight at him.

In big bold letters were the words: SUPER SMASH BROS. FILM UNIT. Manager - Yoshiki Inukai. Now he remembered…

At the bottom of the paper in joined up writing was a signature with a rushed picture the Super Smash Bros. logo which was drawn at a strange angle to the rest of the text. The remainder Master Hand's temporary amnesia vanished as he gazed –in a hand sort of way- at what he had agreed to.

"No…" he murmured. "I didn't do that…"

He read the contract over and over again but it still ended with his signature. On the paper was an offer:

_As manager of the newly established SMASH! News, Yoshiki Inukai requests that the manager of the Super Smash Bros. tournaments accepts the following:_

_SMASH! News is creating a documentary of daily life at the Smash Bros. mansion and wishes to interview your fighters. In order for us to do this, Mr Inukai asks for you to comply with his rules which will hopefully not cause any disturbance to the Smashers. _

_Mr Inukai requires suitable accommodation for both the staff and himself. When filming we may ask Smashers for interviews. When we do this we ask that you do not interfere and only attend when asked. Finally, a schedule will be sent shortly for filming times and answers to some questions you may want to ask._

_Failure to abide by these rules will result in punishment, and the same applies if you decline this offer._

_Please sign below and send to the address at the top of the paper if you accept the terms above._

"I can't believe this… And they're coming today! I can't be doing with filming crew wandering about the place… while a TOURNAMENT is going on!"

Master Hand exclaimed so loudly that someone outside the door heard him, and there was a timid knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Master Hand asked calmly.

"Er… It's me, Peach, and Mario."

"Hold on, I'll be there in a second," replied Master as he floated towards the door.

He quickly unlocked it and let Peach and Mario inside.

"What is it?"

"Um… Well, we heard you shouting," said Peach.

"Is there anything wrong?" Mario queried suspiciously.

The hand raised his fingers as if he was about to declare something, but stopped.

"There is, isn't there?" said Peach worriedly, curiosity shining in her blue eyes.

"No no no! Well… Yes… But I think it's best if I tell you when all the Smashers can hear what I have to say."

Mario looked disappointed at the reply, but dared not keep bugging him about it. Adjusting his red cap, he turned to leave, Peach hurrying behind him.

"OK, Master Hand. Bye."

"Bye,"

Mario and Peach left the room without another word. He could explain the whole filming business, but last night's incident? How could he explain that he was close to death? How could he tell the Smashers that he could sense great danger? Master Hand fumed as he moved back to his desk.

He gazed up at the huge purple clock hanging next to his window. It was eleven o' clock in the morning. He would never let himself sleep in this late.

"What's wrong with me…" he muttered angrily, the hand clenching into a tight fist. The paper looked up at him innocently and almost expectantly from the desk.

He unfurled his fingers and fiercely grabbed the paper and clenched his hand again, crushing it.

"You're not gonna get the upper hand over me,"

**

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****Yay! First chappy done! All will be revealed -well, most of it- in the next chapter! I didn't write too much so I don't spoil the surprise ) The next chapter's gonna be less serious as the Smashers meet the film crew for the first time... But how will they react? Find out very soon!**


	2. Yo! Shiki!

**Kyoko: Next chapter XP The handsome Yoshiki enters and gives a good impression, especially to Peach and Zelda! **

**Peach: (blushes) I didn't say anything!**

**Kyoko: Er... Okaaaaay... Oh yeah! Story! Don't worry! I'm not fully into the plot yet... Just wait and see what kind of evil stuff Yoshiki does soon... MWA HA HA HA HA!**

**Peach: (shudders)**

**

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**

Unaware of the chaos about to unfold, most of the Smashers were relaxing in the living room. Mario and Peach had joined them and, after some persuasion, sat down and discussed what they had said to Master Hand. Luigi's head popped over the edge of the sofa, next to Mario and made him jump. The heads of Ness, Pikachu, Pichu, Pit and Wario followed, their eyes fixed upon him.

"Er… Okaaaaaaaay…" Mario began uneasily, watching the wary faces. "Well, Peach and I talked to Master Hand. We were worried because he was shouting but he tried to give the impression that it wasn't anything to worry about."

"Well, you know what that means…" Falco interrupted. He was slouching on a reclining arm chair.

"Yes, we know that something is up," Peach sighed. "But what?"

"COOKIIIIIIIIES!!"

All heads whipped round to watch a pick puffball ricochet off the walls and bounce over Falco's head before rolling across the carpet and landing on Mario's lap. Mario cautiously tapped the ball as if it might bite, but it suddenly uncovered its tiny arms and revealed a bright red box with a cookie on it.

"Cookies, peeps! Coooookies! Who wants some?!"

"Aw, nice goin', Kirby! We were just about to hear some news!" exclaimed Falco angrily. "…But I _would_ like a cookie."

"Here you are!" Kirby answered, bouncing over to Falco and handing the box to him. "What's the news about, anyway?"

"Master Hand's been acting weird," Peach replied. "He was shouting to himself. He said he would tell all of us together."

The optimism faded out of Kirby like a light bulb losing the last of its energy. Falco handed the box back to Kirby who then proceeded in handing out the rest of the cookies.

"Good morning, Smashers,"

Master Hand had entered the room with less enthusiasm than usual. In fact, his voice was grave and his solemnity was portrayed through the movement of his fingers which fell limp as he floated to the middle of the room.

"I have some important news. The tournament is going ahead as planned, but we'll be having… visitors…"

"Who?" Fox piped up.

"The manager of a new news team called SMASH! News, Yoshiki Inukai would like to film daily life in the mansion. This will then be made into a documentary."

"Wow! That is so cool!" exclaimed Ness animatedly.

Master Hand turned to face Ness who immediately fell quiet.

"Anyway, I would like all of you to be on your best behaviour, and try to treat Inkuai-san and his staff with respect."

The word 'respect' burned in Master Hand's mind, his fingers stiffening in anger. "Any questions?"

"How long will they be there for?" Samus asked.

"I don't know," responded Master Hand. "I don't think the news crew will be filming for long."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," said Master Hand.

The Smashers on the sofa craned their heads to see who it was, even Snake looked interested; instead of keeping his head buried in a news article, he looked up expectantly. Mr Game and Watch the back 2D figure ambled into the room making a 'ping' sound with every step he took. Just behind him, a man in his early 20's stepped into the room wearing a dark blue suit. He was followed by four security guards clad in traditional security uniforms, their faces blank and eyes obscured by dark sunglasses. The young man smiled.

"Ah, Master Hand, nice to meet you again," the man grinned, holding out his hand which Master shook reluctantly. "I've just met your brother, Crazy Hand. He seems… hyper. Is he always like that?"

"Er… yes," Master Hand said nervously. "Well, here's the team: the Smash Bros."

The man pushed back his navy hair and scanned through the group. His smile widened at certain characters such as Link and Mario as they waited for him to speak again.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Yoshiki Inukai, boss of SMASH! News. I'm sure Master Hand has told you about what will be happening, yes?"

The Smashers nodded. Snake went back to looking at his newspaper.

"Good. Well, Master Hand, leave this to me! Follow me, everyone, we'll have a chat in the main hall, OK?"

"But, Inukai-san-"

"Don't worry!" the youth beamed happily. "I need to discuss filming times with the Smashers and ensuring that it won't interfere with your tournament. Right! Let's go!"

The Smashers willingly jumped off of their armchairs and sofas and followed Yoshiki to the main hall where they had breakfast that morning. Sunlight streamed through the windows like golden water, painting the floor with its rays.

Yoshiki beckoned them forward and asked them to sit down. He sat at the very end of the long dining table, now sparkling from polish and clear of plates and cutlery.

"OK," Yoshiki began, observing the Smashers intently. "Before I start, any questions?"

Ness raised his hand.

"Who're ya interviewing first?"

"I'll be interviewing the newcomers first. I'd like to know how you newbies are gettin' on!" responded Yoshi enthusiastically.

"Gosh, Zelda! He's sooooo hot! Even hotter than Marth!" Peach whispered to her friend excitedly.

"I heard that!" Marth murmured. Peach blushed.

"Yo! Shiki! When do we get started, eh?"

The room erupted into laughter at the pun. Yoshiki beamed his perfect teeth at the spy.

"He he… After this meeting! Be patient! You're a newcomer, right? It's Snake, isn't it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Snake responded.

"You have a lot of charisma for an introvert! I'll definitely have to interview you first!" said Yoshiki, his brown eyes glistening mysteriously.

"And that's a compliment, right?" Snake joked, smiling.

"Cookie?"

Inconveniently, Kirby popped up from nowhere with his tub of cookies again. However, Yoshiki accepted a cookie and thanked him.

"OK… Yeah! No more questions now. I would like all of the newcomers to stand up please. I have an important job for you."

Ness sighed as Yoshiki walked away, glancing back at the table.

"I'll be making a short advert for the TV,"

"NOT AGAIN!" Pit shouted unexpectedly. Yoshiki raised his eyebrows. "The last time I had to do an advert with Wario, he made the place stink with his fart! It literally hung in the studio set for hours!"

"Heh, I'm glad I missed out on that bit," laughed Snake. "You never told me that, Wario!"

Wario turned a deep red and grimaced at Pit. "Thanks a lot, Pit!"

"OK, follow me newcomers. Veterans, wait with the film crew. They'll sort you out."

* * *

Marth stared up the ceiling in his bedroom feeling bored with no motive to do anything except a packet of crisps lying beside his bed. Roy sat on a bed opposite him playing his DS, oblivios to his friend's anxiety. For a few minutes they lay in silence; Roy absorbed in his game and Marth eating his crisps whilst staring at the ceiling pondering his fate in the tournament. Finally, Marth spoke, 

"Hey, Roy..." he murmured, turning his head on his pillow. "What time is it?"

Roy looked as though he didn't hear, but then he glanced at his bedside clock and jumped as though electrocuted.

"Aw, damn! You're on in five minutes, Marth!" he shouted.

"Ahh! No way!" yelled Marth, jumping up so fast that he fell off the bed. "Let's go!"

Marth and Roy bolted out of the bedroom and through the corridor. They careered desperately round the first bend, nearly knocking into Mewtwo who managed to teleport himself out of the way. Running underneath the stone arch leading them to the battle arena, the Smahers congregated by a window set in the stone wall where training was usually done.

"Aw, man, I wanna do that!" groaned Bowser, his claws set on the window ledge.

"Eh? What's going on, guys?" said a bewildered Roy.

Peach sidled out of the way to let Marth and Roy peer through the window. They craned their heads over Ganondorf who towered above them and, just over Fox's shoulder, saw an incredible sight.

Filming crew were situated all over the training hall with cameras blinking and hovering from all directions. A construction co-ordinator quickly dashed across the room so as to get out of shot, grabbing a piece of broken camera equipment off of the wood flooring. Yoshiki scrutinized the set with interest, the producer on his left wore a casual red shirt and torn jeans but his face was not as youthful as his style.

"Ness! Kirby! Get back over here! I told you that was copyright!" he hollered at the playful Smashers. Ness shot a PK Thunder from his hands and concentrated in getting it through a basketball hoop. Then he turned and faced Kirby with a smug look on his face.

"Not bad," said Kirby. He held out a packet of colourful sweets. "But I bet you can't put a Rowntrees Fruit Pastel in your mouth without chewing it!"

"CUT! Oh, we're not filming? Fine! FROM THE TOP, PEOPLE! FROM THE TOP!"

Fox held his stomach from laughing so hard. "Classic! Oh, what's going on now? They're doing the ad!"

Everyone outside the room pressed their faces against the glass as the lights turned down low and Ness and Kirby scampered off set giggling. Wario walked into the middle of the room, though you could only tell it was him due to his wide outline.

"And...ACTION!" said the producer.

The lights faded on; coloured smoke flew through the air, but it wasn't a fart. Pit rose gracefully behind the smoke lit by the shining lights. Wario's face was the most serious as anyone had seen it. And then, out of the blue as Pit's feet touched the ground, the pair engaged in a petrifying duel; their moves a blur and their cries of determination echoing through the hall.

BOOM!

The Smashers gasped and the duel stopped as a deafening explosion tore a hole in the wall, ripping away the basketball hoop which Ness had been using only a few seconds earlier. Somersaulting from the source of the explosion was an ominous black figure making its way to the set. It soared high into the air and landed without a sound onto the floor in a crouching position. It was Snake.

The fighting resumed, Snake joining in the fray, aiming punches, bullets -Peach almost fainted at the sight- or whatever he could find left on stage. Another newcomer, the Pokemon trainer ran out of nowhere and onto the stage with three pokeballs in his hand. He launched them straight at the fighters and watch the hall be engulfed in more light as three pokemon -Charizard, Ivysaur and Squirtle- attacked the fighters.

"Whoah, this is... amazing..." breathed Ganondorf. "With a commercial like this we'll be raking in the rupees..."

"You mean coins," Falco interjected, smirking. "But yeah... Oh look! There's Diddy!"

Finally, Diddy lunged from a higher level followed by Kirby's sinister protagonist, Metaknight.

"I'm so proud of him," said DK happily, watching his buddy accurately aim a punch at Wario's jaw.

"Wait! There's Ike!" exclaimed Marth.

Wielding his golden two-handed sword Aether -with one hand- Ike, Fire Emblem hero sprinted full power into the melee, his power so strong that Diddy was sent flying into the brick wall several metres away.

"OK! Final part! Ready...NOW!

The Smashers froze, their eyes fixed on the nearest camera.

Wario: We've waited so long for this... And now...

Pit: ... The true battle begins...

Snake: ... No room for mistakes...

Pokemon Trainer: ... Only the successful survive...

Diddy: ... In the battles ahead...

Metaknight: ... A revolution in fighting...

Ike: ... Super Smash Bros. Brawl... Are you up for it?

"And... CUT! That was absolutely BRILLIANT! You may leave now Smashers, I will show you the film as soon as possible." the man shouted out excitedly.

"Hmm...very well." said Yoshiki. "Takeshi, I'd like a private word with you,"

The producers turned his back on the Smashers as the filed out of the door. Diddy was caught in a massive hug from DK as he came out of the door.

"OK OK! You're squashing me!" he squealed.

"Diddy, are you alright? When you were thrown across the room by Ike, you scared me to death!" said Peach, concerned.

"No no no, it's cool, it's cool." replied Diddy who was in the middle of a high five with Ike. "Right?"

"Right!" the swordsman agreed, continuing the chain of high fives around the team.

"Now that was what I call a brawl!" said Snake, thrusting a fist into the air. "That TV ad's gonna be amazing!"

Meanwhile, Marth and Roy strayed away from the group. Marth stared deep into the gargantuan blank flat screen TV on the wall, perplexed at how Master Hand would not appear to start the tournament. His worries, however, subsided as Master Hand floated through the doorway.

"Sorry, everyone!" the gloved hand glided to the middle of the room. "Marth, Fox, get into the portals,"

Due to his excellent hearing, Fox quickly finished his conversation with his friends and broke away from the group. Jumping into the metal capsule-like portal, Marth inspected his blue tunic and straightened his cloak; ready for battle.

"Destination: Hyrule Castle," boomed Master Hand

Everyone in the room watched as Marth and Fox materialised before their eyes and appeared on the screen on the Hyrule Castle stage. The finals were finally up and running...

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**Phew! Another chapter done! In the next chapter Fox and Marth battle for a place in the finals, but who will win? Plus, Yoshiki secretly takes his plan to the next level... Wait for the next chapter to find out what happens!**


	3. Dangerous Decision

**Well, here's the next chapter! Please read and review if you haven't already! I hope you enjoy it! You still Yoshiki's innocent? Read this... you _will_ change you mind!**

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While some of the Smashers stayed in the transportation area, most of the Smashers rushed excitedly to the main viewing area where a breathtaking view of the Hyrule Temple stage stood proudly and beyond their reach behind glass.

Yoshiki could hear animated voices following him up the stairs and gritted his teeth. He couldn't bear any more interruption from any of them, even adoring fans like Peach.

"Hi, Yoshiki!"

Her voice called out to him in an annoying sweet tone which made the hairs on his neck stand on end. Peach ran over to Yoshiki and sat next to him on a bench.

"Er, hi," he replied, washing his face of disgust. "Right, well… I'm going to film the match now."

"Oh! Wow! That is so amazing!" said Peach agitatedly.

Yoshiki walked over to Takeshi who was leaning on a large camera watching the battle. A man was commentating in the background with a microphone. He was still a teenager and was almost screeching his excitement as Fox pounced from a tall pillar and punched Marth in midair, then sending a critical smash attack towards him to propel him off of the stage.

"We really need a new commentator," Yoshiki whispered monotonously. "We can hardly hear what he says!"

"Nonsense!" Takeshi responded, chuckling. "Koji is a great commentator! He has a good personality and has a charm which many commentators lack!"

Yoshiki remained silent.

"But you're the boss, Yoshiki," Takeshi said hurriedly watching Yoshiki's face contort into a scowl. "It's entirely up to you!"

Mario and Luigi sat close to the window. It felt different having all those cameras around, especially when you could hear the voice of Koji talking excitedly into his microphone.

"Who's winning? Wow! Did you just see Fox?!"

"Yeah, Mario, they're both really skilled fighters." Luigi replied, entranced by the whirlwind of attacks. "Plus tonight there'll be even more filming to be done for the first episode!"

That was good point. With the filming schedule still not clear to the Smashers and even Yoshiki himself, Luigi was certain that none of them would be getting any sleep that night.

Meanwhile, on the stage, Marth executed a perfect Dancing Blade on Fox. That wasn't enough for a KO, however, so as Fox began his Fire Fox move, he charged his 'Shield Breaker' attack and waited until Fox came straight towards him. The sword slammed down upon Fox, sending him spiralling off the stage.

* * *

Master Hand usually watched the battle from his other office located right next to the transportation portals. The damage count, winning fighter and several other important factors were displayed on a small computer next to a wall where there were hundreds of buttons and levers which only Master Hand knew how to control.

He knew that the SMASH! News team was in the main viewing area filming the fight and tried to calm himself.

_What could possibly go wrong? Why am I worrying so much? _he thought to himself as Fox was KO'd once more. _This could actually be for my own benefit, a favour… No! What am I thinking? I've betrayed them all… I've betrayed the Smashers…_

Master Hand hesitated for a few seconds then made his way towards the door. He heard cheering on the floor above him, finally deciding that he had made his mind up to go and see how the Smashers were.

Before he left, he pressed some of the buttons on his computer to summon a wire frame to keep track of the fight details while he was gone.

When he went into the viewing area, no one took much notice of him. Mario and Luigi were cheering madly for the fighters at the front of the screen like most of the fighters. At the back of the row of benches stood Captain Falcon and Falco who were unable to get a good view past the cameras. Captain Falcon was craning his head over the sea of heads while Falco had managed to find a gap in the crowd. Now was Master Hand's chance.

"Falco!" he whispered to the bird. "Falco!"

Falco turned round to face Master Hand. He looked surprised to see him there.

"Oh, Master Hand! I thought you'd be-"

"Shh! I know!" Master hissed. "Look, Falco, I need you to come to my office. It's important."

"Er…OK," Falco responded, quietly making his way out of the room.

They walked –or in Master Hand's case, floated- through the corridors. Master Hand was in a rush to get to his office, which baffled Falco. The corridors were silent apart from Falco's brisk footsteps echoing off the walls. Sunlight danced along the red carpet on the floor as Master Hand's and Falco's shadow rushed past it.

After what seemed five minutes, Master Hand reached his main office and beckoned Falco inside. He locked the door.

"Falco…" Master Hand began breathlessly. "Sit down…"

Falco silently obeyed. "Let me ask what you think of the publicity of the Smash Mansion… of the Smashers."

Falco tried to focus on something on other than Master Hand who was hovering a few inches away from him.

"Erm… It was weird at first, seeing this young news tycoon suddenly appear out of nowhere and film our daily lives. One of the guys filming asked me to answer a few questions about life in the mansion and stuff like that. They haven't even been here a whole day and already so much has happened!"

"I see," Master Hand murmured. "And you're enjoying the experience?"

"Yes," Falco replied nervously. "Although Yoshiki looks a bit disorganised, don't you think?"

Master Hand thought back to when Yoshiki left with the newcomers and told the veterans that someone else will 'sort them out'. Becoming lost in thought, he wandered towards the window and sighed.

"No, Falco," said Master Hand finally. "If you look more closely, you will see that Yoshiki is very organised… Too organised…"

The bird's eyes brightened with interest, yet Master Hand's serious tone was beginning to worry the usually casual Falco.

"What do you mean, Master? I knew something was up!"

"Falco…"

Master Hand struggled with his words and he clenched into a tight fist, wishing he had never said anything in the first place.

"What's wrong?"

"It's my fault, Falco," said Master furiously. "I've put you all in danger… This Yoshiki is no inspiring young lad who wishes to give you fame… He's a murderer…"

This time Falco did not counter. His beak lay open as if he were frozen. Master Hand turned to Falco again.

"I would never put you or any of the other Smashers in any danger, you must understand that," he resumed. "But the day before the film crew came… I was tortured into letting Yoshiki stay. I kept refusing but that night I was on the verge of death… I was staring at a gun and several katana for goodness sake!"

"But Master Hand!" Falco interrupted, terrified. "Why couldn't you tell us before? As soon as this happened you could have alerted all of the Smashers and we could have helped you!"

"It was too risky, Falco," Master Hand breathed. "I don't why the police haven't got him yet, but Yoshiki is dangerous and if I disobeyed him, all of us would have been killed."

There was a knock at the door.

"Falco! Hide!" Master whispered desperately. "Who is it?"

"Just me, Roy," said the voice.

Silence. Falco had dived under the desk, his blaster ready.

"Hold on, I'm-"

The door rattled on its hinges. The office door was bombarded with several powerful kicks. Within seconds it was blasted a few feet from the doorframe and landed with a loud bang on the floor.

"Master Hand…"

Yoshiki stood at the door, a gun in his hand. "Heh heh… I knew it wouldn't be long before you cracked under the pressure. It's not even day two yet, is it?"

Falco watched fearfully from around the desk. The gun was pointing straight at Master Hand. The bird wrathfully lunged from his hiding place, his blaster aimed at Yoshiki.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" he yelled, glaring at the young entrepreneur.

"Ah, Falco. I knew that he would have to confide in someone," Yoshiki said slowly. His security officers closed in around the broken doorframe, hands poised above their katana scabbards. "Outnumbered…"

"Falco, get out of here now!" roared Master Hand irately.

"How? We're surrounded!" Falco countered, his eyes shifting nervously from the Yoshiki to Master Hand.

"I'm afraid no one's going anywhere," Yoshiki growled dangerously. "Until I get some co operation. Security! Get the falcon!"

Security filed into the office, closing in on Falco whose blaster shots proved futile. He edged back, refusing to give in, firing more shots only to be punched in the face and grabbed by the back of the shirt. Master Hand could nothing to help as the security cornered him.

"Now where was I?" started Yoshiki, hands on his hips. "Ah yes. Master Hand, I'll give you a choice. Firstly, you could keep this a secret from everyone. We could carry on as normal filming daily life and I promise that I won't interrupt your tournament. Or, I could leave this mansion and never return, you can carry on the tournament with no interruption whatsoever, the filming will stop and you can even call the police… but on one condition."

Yoshiki's smile widened. "You would have to lose one of your Smashers, preferably this one," He pointed at Falco.

"WHAT?! YOU CAN'T-" Falco was stopped in mid sentence by a second punch.

"When you say lose… what exactly do you mean?" asked Master Hand suspiciously.

"Surely you must know!" laughed Yoshiki.

"WAIT! MASTER HAND-"

"Security! Shut him up somehow!"

The guard who held Falco obediently unsheathed his katana and held it at his throat.

"Of course I meant to kill them!" said Yoshiki impatiently his hand twitching on the trigger. "I wouldn't be so unkind to just make you evict him from the mansion! But I know you have the same idea as me…"

Master Hand watched helplessly as Falco defiantly struggled against the katana.

"And you said that only one would die?" Master said slowly. Falco gave him a disgusted look.

"I knew you would think the same…" Yoshiki smiled.

* * *

**Mwa ha ha! I am so evil XP Please review please review! In the next chapter... actually, you'll have to wait! Poor Peach... To think that she thought that Yoshiki was better than Marth! **


	4. Close Call

**Woooo! Next chappy! I feel a little more confident that my fic is getting better now, especially after recieving some reviews (thanks to notfromearth7 for sending me my first reviews!) Anyway, about this chapter! I don't want to give it away but I've made Yoshiki very evil O.O R&R please! It took me a while to write but here it is. I present to you drumroll please chapter 4!**

* * *

Cheering voices echoed through the empty corridors, shadows darting across the walls as the Smashers flooded from the viewing area and back to the lounge. Everyone gathered around Fox, the winner of the battle, and congratulated him. It was a tough battle with Fox winning by only two points. All that he really wanted do now was to relax, but it was only eight o' clock and the lively atmosphere hadn't even reached its peak yet.

Marth had congratulated Fox in winning the fight then joined Roy.

"That was a great fight, Marth!" Roy said encouragingly.

"That Fox sure is a great fighter," smiled Marth. "I think he might even win the tournament!"

Fox talked to the Ice Climbers and Link about the fight. Both had been knocked out the tournament for a few days now and were keen to find out how hard the battle was. However, as they began to enter the living room, he felt that someone was missing from the group. Falco was always first to admire his efforts and congratulate him, but today he was nowhere in sight.

"Hey, Fox! What's wrong?" Link had noticed that Fox had been quiet for a while.

"Link, do you know where Falco went?" Fox asked, snapping out his daydream.

"Er, no," Link replied, looking round just in case Falco was amongst the other Smashers. "Ask Captain Falcon. He was sitting next to him."

Fox immediately ran to Captain Falcon was already dozing off on his armchair, Pichu lying on his lap already fast asleep.

"Hey, Falcon! Falcon!" The F-Zero racer blinked a few times for he didn't have a proper chance to sleep. No one could with all the racket going on. "Have you seen Falco?"

"…Er… Dunno." Falcon replied wearily. "I saw him leave with Master Hand. Dunno where to, though."

The fox turned away from C. Falcon who fell asleep again. This was enough information to reveal that he must have gone to Master Hand's office. Deciding not to waste any more time, he sprinted out of the lounge and turned right, towards the direction of the office.

Little did he know, however, was that Pichu had scrambled off of C. Falcon's lap after several attempts to ignore the noise. He quietly ran after the quick fox, finding it difficult to keep up. Nevertheless, Fox's acute hearing finally pinpointed that the little electric mouse was following him.

"Pichu! Why are you following me?" said Fox, startled.

"Pichu! Pi-pi-chu-pi!"

Fox couldn't understand the Pokemon's words, but nodded his head as if he did. Pichu seemed happy despite Fox not knowing what he said. He caught up with Fox and looked up at him contentedly. Fox smiled.

"Well, let's get going Pichu! I'm going to find out what Falco's up to!" he said.

With that, Fox ran a little more slowly to allow the Pokemon to catch up. The had reached the corner to which the corridor on the left would take them to Master Hand's office. Excited, Pichu bounced past Fox and disappeared around the corner. Less than a second passed yet Pichu had already dashed back, rushing past Fox, his eyes wide with terror.

"Pichu! What are you doing? Don't you want to-"

Fox's words ricocheted against the walls of the silent corridor. Pichu had already shot back to the lounge as fast as a bullet, a flash of yellow flying around the corner they had walked around moments earlier. Confused, Fox poked his head round the corner. The sight made him double take. _What the…_

His orange ears pricked up at the sound of shouting. He recognised it as Yoshiki's voice. Through broken wooden doorframe he could see the gargantuan figure of Master Hand hover precariously between two long katana. The tall, thin figure standing just outside the office was clearly Yoshiki, his navy hair swept back apart from a few strands of fringe. In his hands a gun aimed at Master Hand. How long had this being on for? Fox wasn't alerted of any gunshot after his battle judging by his friend's faces…

Terrified, Fox's brain pounded furiously with concentration. Armed with only a blaster he wouldn't last a minute against Yoshiki's gang. And then he remembered the sole reason why he needed to go there in the first place.

Fear shot through him like a thousand volts. Fox determinedly grabbed his blaster and crept into full view of Master Hand. The hand didn't say anything even though he could clearly see him.

He sidled against the wall, face sweating; he held his breath. He turned his head a little to get a better view of what was happening on the left side of his office. A long, low growl escaped through his bared teeth.

Security surrounded his friend Falco, one particularly sinister man holding him with a katana held tightly against his throat.

"You won't regret your decision," sneered Yoshiki. "Only one Smasher will die and then that will be the end of this ordeal. I'll get out of this mansion and you'll hear no more from me,"

Yoshiki's gun turned to face Falco. "This is it… Goodbye Falco…"

"NO!!"

Fox dived into the room, blaster in hand. A shot penetrated the air. He froze, watching his friend with saddened eyes, his heart sank…

"Damn! Stupid fox!" yelled Yoshiki, glaring at Fox's blaster.

But Fox took no notice. The guard holding Falco had moved out of the way to avoid being shot. Falco had collapsed to the ground in pain, blood seeping through a wound in his shoulder.

"Fox…"

Falco could see Fox standing beside him, his voice weak, his head hung low.

"Get out of here now!" Master Hand boomed.

"And how are they going to do that?" Yoshiki spat, smugly looking down at the wounded bird. "You've already made your mind up that you wanted one Smasher dead, so why don't I get rid of this one as well?"

"WHAT?!" shouted Fox, exchanging glances from Yoshiki to Master Hand. "You planned this all along?!"

"No! No! It's not like that!" said Master Hand. "It's nothing like that!"

"Tell me what this is about!" Fox demanded, unsure of who he should be pointing his gun at.

Yoshiki grinned. Master Hand sighed.

"Fine. Yoshiki is…a-a murderer. I was forced into letting him stay… But I still don't know why he would want to film during such a busy time of the year! I don't know why…" He glared at Yoshiki. "…I don't know why he was so keen to film… That he would kill me because it was so important…"

Yoshiki gritted his teeth as Master waited for an answer.

"That's none of your business!" he snapped. "W-what I do is none of your business!"

"I see…" Master Hand said calmly.

Fox had helped Falco to his feet. "But you would never put us in any danger…" he said, grimacing.

"Fox! Take Falco now!"

"But-"

Before Fox could finish, Master Hand glowed blue. Tiny blue electric balls of light shone at his fingertips. Suddenly, they exploded with several loud bangs in front of Yoshiki and his guards.

"Go!" Master screamed as the short-lived distraction stopped flowing from his fingertips.

Fox silently grabbed Falco under his wing and ran, jumping over the crouching body of Yoshiki who was temporarily paralysed by the blow.

"Get them, you idiots!" screeched Yoshiki irately. "They're not going too fast!"

The guards weakly obeyed their boss and ran out of the office, katana in hand. Fox growled at the sight behind him.

"Great! They're after us!" he said, running as fast as he could. He and Falco had only made it half-way past the corridor yet already the guard's paralysis had gone completely. Yoshiki leapt to his feet as the last of his paralysis wore off. He stared down the corridor and leered. His hands shook with a mixture of anger and excitement, his finger twitching on the trigger again. He aimed through the gap between the guards.

"Now, Master Hand, with _no_ interruption…"

Without hesitation, Yoshiki fired five shots down the corridor. Fox managed to dodge all of them except one. One bullet lodged into his leg, excruciating pain shooting through his body. But he still carried on.

The lounge was just up ahead, but what would the Smashers say? Fox decided to go past it; no one noticed him go by. One of the guards ran into the lounge.

"If you heard any gunshot it's for a commercial and nobody was hurt!" said the guard hurriedly.

"Cookie?"

Kirby looked up at him expectantly holding his box of cookies. The guard smiled much to everyone's surprise.

"Er, yeah, sure…" he replied, crouching down and picking up a cookie. "Hmm… are these homemade?"

"What? Oh, er… no." Kirby looked surprised. Nobody had ever taken an interest in his cookies except when it came to eating them.

"I see…"

A yellow dot flashed at the end of the corridor. _I must be hallucinating… _Fox thought as he tried to ignore the pain. He blinked as it came closer then stopped. _Pichu!_

"Pi-pi-chu-pi-chu-pichu!" it squeaked, beckoning Fox and Falco with its paw.

Fox and Falco followed, the security still after them. Pichu ran a little faster and ran up the stairs towards the dormitories.

"He wants us to get up there? Get lost Pichu! I'm in pain here!" said Falco.

"He wants to help us!" said Fox, checking behind him.

Slowly they climbed the stairs. The guards were far behind now. As soon as they got to the top Pichu darted towards his room. He jumped up to reach the doorknob, turned it then gestured for them to come inside.

The fox and bird finally slumped to the ground; exhausted, confused and in pain.

"Pi-chu-chu-pichu-pi?" Pichu asked, cocking its head to one side.

"Pichu…Get Dr Mario. Quickly!" Fox breathed wearily.

Pichu nodded and jumped to grab the doorknob again ("Why couldn't he just by a cat flap?" said Falco).

At long last, everything was quiet. The whole room was still apart from the fox and bird's heavy breathing. But now wasn't the time to rest. He had seen too much to not say anything. Fox wanted answers.

"What's been going on?" he began after the long silence.

"Don't ask." Falco retorted, holding his wounded shoulder.

"What d'ya mean 'don't ask'? Why was Yoshiki trying to kill you and Master Hand? Why didn't Master Hand do anything to stop him except when he helped us escape? Tell me!"

"I shouldn't be telling you this, but…" Falco lowered his voice. "Yoshiki's a murderer. He forced Master Hand into staying to film, but he has no idea why he was so keen in coming here. Probably to kill all of the Smashers or something like that. Anyway, Master confided in me. He knew that it was too risky to tell me about Yoshiki's plan. Unfortunately, Yoshiki heard everything. He said that Master Hand had a choice: let him stay in the mansion and film or send him out of the mansion and call the police on one condition… to kill one Smasher. You can tell which one Master went for, can't you?"

Fox stared at his friend in silence, anger boiling inside him.

"But why would he…? No. That's just the start. We need to get to the bottom line to find out _why_ Yoshiki wants to stay here. To be honest, I don't think it's for filming…"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Hello? It's Dr Mario! Can I come in please?"

**

* * *

**

**Well there you go! Another chapter done! YAY! I know I was a bit, no VERY evil but at least Falco doesn't die, eh? I've heard that loads of people kill Falco first, but I didn't. OK, you know what to do now, right? Review please!**


	5. Fart or Falcon?

**Yay! It's time for another chappy! It's interview time for the Smashers! WOOOO! It took me a while to write this so please R&R! Oh, and if you want to know who Yoshiki has murdered you will find out very soon! I understand I haven't said anything about who he's killed yet and it's not Crazy Hand btw even though I've sorta forgotten about him. He will appear soon, though! XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SSB characters, Big Brother or Channel 4. Yoshiki Inukai, Takeshi (haven't thought of surname yet!) and Koji Konda (LOL geddit?) are MINE!**

* * *

"It's 7:30am and the Smashers are eating breakfast!" exclaimed Koji, jogging around the table with the camera crew rushing to keep up with him.

He ran another lap of the table then crouched down in between Nana and Popo.

"Nana! Popo! Whatcha eatin'?"

"Jam on toast!" they replied in unison.

"Great, great. No one can beat the old jam on toast to get you ready for a tournament, folks!"

Zelda sighed, picking at her plate of pancakes with her fork as Koji danced annoyingly around the table. She hoped that he wouldn't stop at her.

"How can he be so active so early in the morning?" she asked Link who was eating toast next to her. "He was up at about six!"

"But it's nice to see a hip and trendy new commentator around, no offence to Master Hand. He's trendy, young (I think) but he can't help not being hip. Get it? Hip? He's a hand? Ha ha!" Link laughed. Zelda rolled her eyes but smiled at his ridiculous pun. "Plus," he added, "It's not like he has that boring voice from that British programme… Oh what's it called...?"

"Big Brother?" Samus guessed with her mouth full of cereal.

"Yeah, yeah, that's the one. It's cool but Big Brother acts so bored all the time! '7:44am. The housemates are eating breakfast in the dining room. Koji is prancing around the room like a wierdo.'" Link mimicked the voice of Big Brother.

Samus failed to suppress her giggles and ended up spitting chewed cornflakes all over her blue zero suit. She grabbed her napkin and self-consciously wiped her face and knees. A shadow stood in front of her when she had finished.

"Hi, Samus!"

Samus turned round, hastily smiling widely though you could see that she was bursting to fall into hysterics. Koji, dressed in a casual white T-Shirt and jeans bent down with microphone.

"What's goin' on?" he asked cheerfully.

"Nothing…much!" Samus sideways glanced at Link. "Just talking about… the tournament!"

"Ah yes! The tournament!" Koji grinned enthusiastically. "Today's fight has been postponed due to one of the fighters, Fox, being injured yesterday evening. However, that means there is more time for the Smashers to just chill out!"

He had now twirled round and began talking to the camera hovering beside him. "Is that Ganondorf over there? Let's see what he thinks about this!"

Samus was just about to eat some more cereal but stopped. Link and Zelda had heard what Koji had just said too.

"Injured?" Zelda repeated worriedly. "Do you think this is linked to…"

"…That guard bursting into the lounge yesterday?" Link finished her sentence. "He did say there were gunshots…"

Zelda twirled her long brown hair, overwrought at the idea that one of her friends had been shot. She gazed at the empty seat where he usually sat at the table, then noticed another empty seat next to it where Falco sat.

"Why's Falco missing too? He wasn't involved was he?" Zelda wondered aloud, a feeling of dread growing in her mind. "Master Hand would have told us… Surely he would have!"

"Well, they must be with Dr Mario right now." said Link, going back to his toast. "I'm sure they're OK."

Just then, Master Hand floated unexpectedly into the room like a large white ghost. He never showed up to greet them before nine.

"Good morning, Smashers!" he boomed confidently. "Today will be a little different as filming gets fully underway. Only a few hours of filming were achieved yesterday, so Inukai-san is hoping to film a whole day!"

Chatter broke out among the Smashers, particularly between Link, Samus and Zelda. Koji stood by with his microphone and the filming crew looking extremely pleased.

"Today," Another voice resounded through the hall. Everyone turned in the direction it was coming from. Unsurprisingly it was Yoshiki leaning on a marble banister, keen to have his say. "I'll be interviewing all of you. You may expect me and my film crew to be wandering through the corridors as well so don't look too surprised if we come to up to you and ask you a few questions,"

And with that he just turned and left, leaving an eerie silence behind him. "Koji! Back to you!" Yoshiki's voice echoed mysteriously a few seconds later through the hall.

Koji jumped up and punched the air but tripped over a camera wire. He jumped back to his feet.

"Right! All of your names are in this box."

Koji held up a red box with a picture of a cookie on the front full of pieces of paper with names on. Kirby narrowed his eyes, gazing at the box and hyperventilated.

"Kirby!" Marth nudged him with his elbow. "Deep breaths. The box is empty now. You ate all the cookies yesterday, remember?"

Kirby deflated, a positive smile widening on his round pink face.

"Captain Falcon! Congratulations! Follow me, please!"

Koji marched up the marble stairs and stood waiting for an anxious C. Falcon. The racer jumped out of his seat and ran after the blonde-haired youth. Then, as if nothing had happened, chatter resumed as did eating breakfast.

* * *

"Soooooo… Brief summary! Your first game?" 

"F-Zero."

"You were part of an anime too, yes?"

"Yeah. Look, save your questions for the camera, kid."

"Oh, sure."

C. Falcon jogged effortlessly at Koji's side. Koji ran as fast as he could to keep up with him and was relieved to reach Master Hand's office to begin the interview and catch his breath.

The door was now replaced and the room was tidied especially for today's schedule. Falcon took a seat on a leather swivel chair as did Koji. The filming crew were fiddling with their expensive camera equipment, red and green lights blinking on and off.

"Ready?" Koji asked.

"Yeah," Falcon replied.

"And you're on air in…" Takeshi ran in through the office and held up his fingers as numbers.

The interview begins!

Koji: Hello and welcome to the first live interview at the Smash Mansion! I'm your host Koji Konda and heeeeeeeeerre's Captain Falcon!

People randomly running into the window: YAAAAY! WOOOOOO! WE LOVE YOU!

Koji: OK, let's get started. Captain Falcon, when was your debut and what was it called.

C. Falcon: (rolls eyes) F-Zero in 1990 in Japan.

Koji: Cool, cool. Now I'm not going to go too far into your racing experiences, but what do you think about your racing rival, Samurai Goroh, joining as an Assist Trophy character?

C. Falcon: It's more challenging when your rival is involved. He'll have to do as I say when I summon him!

Koji: Now about life in the Smash Mansion. Is there anyone who you're really good friends with?

C. Falcon: I get along with everyone really but my best friends are Link, Mario and Samus. Samus and I have a lot in common since we are both bounty hunters.

Koji: She's your girlfriend?

C. Falcon: No way!

Koji: Anyone you don't like?

C. Falcon: (laughs)…No. Oh yeah, Wario. You can tell why from the way he shovels down baked beans in the morning!

Koji: Right. Do you have any races with the other Smashers?

C. Falcon: No, no. I'd like to but there's not enough space for a racetrack. Besides, nobody can beat my Blue Falcon! Nobody! (laughs evilly)

(Wario kicks door open whilst sitting on his motorbike)

Wario: I challenge you to a race, Falcon!

C. Falcon: YEAH! YEAH! Oh wait, but where will we race?

Wario: I've found a track outside! Come on! You'll regret ever saying you can beat anyone!

Koji: ("OMG LOL!!") WOAH! Falcon accepted Wario's challenge! YAY! I CAN BE A RACE COMMENTATOR!!

(Koji and the camera crew run after C. Falcon and Wario. They follow them outside where the garden has been transformed into a racetrack. All of the Smashers except Dr Mario, Fox and Falco are waiting there.)

"Wow! Just look at that!" Koji beamed.

The whole front garden had been magically transformed into a colossal, gravity-defying death trap of doom. Towering over five hundred metres high was a concrete loop-the-loop structure casting a dark shadow over the mansion.

Wario was at the starting line on his motorbike line a few metres away waiting for C. Falcon.

"Where is he? Has he chickened out?" Wario laughed, starting up his bike. "Eh? What's that?"

Another shadow blocked out the sun as a giant ship descended slowly from the sky.

"What the… Is that Falcon's ship?!"

C. Falcon's ship, Blue Falcon, stylishly moved into its starting space. It towered several feet above Wario and his bike.

"Ha! That piece of junk can't beat me!" scoffed Wario.

"Whatever you say…" smiled Falcon.

Koji had jumped onto a stand at the side. Yoshiki mysteriously appeared behind him.

"Ah, Koji! You've come to see Wario get crushed too?"

"I guess it does look a bit one-sided," replied Koji. "But Wario wouldn't have challenged him if he wasn't confident that he would win."

"Get ready!" one of the film crew shouted through a microphone.

"3…2…1…GO!"

All of a sudden, the two vehicles roared across the track at incredible speed leaving a cloud of dust behind them. Koji watched, his eyes wide as Wario and C. Falcon came to the first major obstacle.

"Off they go at amazing speed towards the first obstacle; a twisting ramp! It doesn't sound original but believe me, it's all about timing! A spinning platform will lead back onto the track, so let's see if they make it!"

A flash of blue dazzled in the light far ahead of Wario. His front wheel perilously reared forward and backwards, friction against the tarmac tearing away the rubber. C. Falcon soared towards the tilted ramp up ahead, everything except the track in front of him was a bewildering blur.

And then the car jolted as it hit the wooden platform. It launched into the air, landed onto the spinning platform and flew back onto the track with ease. Now it was Wario's turn.

"Well we've just seen C. Falcon shoot across the first obstacle in one piece. Will we be able to say the same about Wario? Here he comes... He's at the ramp... WHOAH!"

Wario shot through the sky like a red and gold streak of lighting with as much speed as his opponent and certainly finding no difficulty in jumping on the moving platform and back onto the track.

"Phew, that was a close one! Now our racers head off across the track to the next obstacle, C. Falcon's in the lead by miles! What was Wario thinking?"

The track lead straight to the next obstacle which C. Falcon had encountered many times in his racing tours: the loop-the-loop.

_He'll never get past this..._ Falcon chuckled to himself.

The loop-the-loop was up ahead. C. Falcon concentrated his last few seconds on flat ground to boost his power.

"Here he goes! Wario is only a few metres behind... WHAT?!"

_Your luck ends here! _Wario knew he didn't have some expensive speed boosting energy pack for his little bike, but he _did_ have a secret weapon. Laughing, he pulled out a box of matches and took a match out. He lit it and, still accelerating faster than ever, took one hand of the handle bar and held it behind him.

With tremendous, terrifying force, Wario clenched his teeth as a cloud of red smoke exploded from both the motorbike and his bum, sending a sudden small shock wave pulsating through the ground.

"I can't believe it! Who needs diesel when you've got your own gas? He's started a revolution here!" Koji shouted through his microphone whilst holding his nose. "But it smells a lot worse..."

A few seconds later Wario was safely on flat ground and flying past the Blue Falcon. Neither could see another obstacle up ahead.

"Here comes the next obstacle... Oh wait! Where is it? Yoshiki! Where is it?!"

"You'll see..." Yoshiki smirked, winking at the camera.

The track began to rise higher. Wario looked up ahead. There was nothing except the mansion wall.

"What?! DEAD END?!" he screamed, pushing on the brakes. "Hold on... A hole!"

Sure enough, there was a hole in the wall of the mansion. Wario was so determined to win that he carried on, leaving a dirt trail on the carpet as he did so. However, Captain Falcon had other ideas. His Blue Falcon was too big. He veered off the track, his speed slowly creeping higher and the Smashers watching in awe.

"Falcon's found a detour! Is this allowed? WHO CARES! He's winning the race and Wario's causing mayhem in the mansion!"

The finishing line was in sight. Falcon pushed his prized vehicle to the limit. He was going it win...

"YAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Wario yelled in fear as he came crashing out the mansion, eyes wide and smoke still billowing behind him. His wheels swerved erratically from side to side. They were now neck-and-neck...

"And the winner is...Wario! He's done it! Fart triumphs over Falcon!" cheered Koji elatedly. "And Captain Falcon unfortunately comes in at a close second place. Well, it serves him right for saying that he could beat anyone!"

A dazed Wario slowed to a halt in front of waving crowds (they were mostly wafting the smell away). C. Falcon jumped out of Blue Falcon a few seconds later, his face devoid of any hint of praise.

"HA! I told you!" boasted Wario, pointing a finger at him. "Now _I_ am the greatest racer in the world! HA HA HA HA HA!!"

"Well, that says it all really," said Koji. "No need for an interview with Wario. However, please be sure to watch the rest of the interviews today and a smashing tournament battle tomorrow afternoon! See ya!"

Zelda, Link and Samus stood in the bustling crowd of spectators watching the action.

"I was sure that Falcon would win..." sighed Samus. "I mean, come on, guys! He was beaten by a fart!"

"Yeah, but Wario _did_ prove a point to Falcon," Zelda replied, craning her head over Roy's shoulder.

"It's a shame Fox and Falco couldn't see this," said Link. "Hey! We should see them right now!"

"Great idea!" Samus and Zelda replied.

They quickly ran past the other Smashers and made their way back into the mansion. The event was spectacular but at the same time added more and more questions about Yoshiki and his film crew. Nevertheless, this was the last thing on the three friends minds as they set off to find Fox and Falco.

* * *

**Quite a long chapter, eh? I'm not going to reveal any part of the plot for the next chapter but I'll promise not to take so long writing it! OK, it's review time! Please review! I'll update soon! **


	6. Meeting at Midnight

**I'm back with another chapter! Finally! I was back at school on Tuesday so I haven't had a lot of time to write. But now the next chapter's up after nearly a whole week of not posting anything! YAY! XD**

**Things are getting serious again back in the Smash Mansion as Fox and Falco make a risky decision... **

**Oh yeah, I keep forgetting my dislaimers! Disclaimer: I don't own any SSB characters but I _do_ own Yoshiki Inukai, Takeshi Deguchi (YAY! He has a surname now!) and Koji Konda.**

* * *

Interviewing resumed straight after the race against C. Falcon and Wario. The garden also mystically materialised back to its former self. Koji was now more determined than ever to fit in everyone's interviews.

He prowled through the corridors, much like Yoshiki, and pounced on unsuspecting Smashers. Mario and Luigi were his first victims, yet they didn't seem to mind too much. At least they weren't forced to speak to Yoshiki. His unusually docile character was enough to bear, but you would become uneasy if you could see him walking ever so slowly towards you out of the corner of your eye…

Link, Samus and Zelda visited Fox and Falco who were still recovering from their injuries at the hospital. They had managed to gather a few snacks from the kitchen as a gesture of 'get well soon' seeing as they had no cards or other gifts to give them.

They entered through the door. Dr Mario was busily working on something in the corner of the room.

"Hi, we've come to see Fox and Falco," said Link.

"Ah, certainly. Go ahead, they've just woken up." Dr Mario replied, smiling.

The three Smashers walked over to Fox and Falco who were in two beds near the end of the room. Next to each best was a tray littered with plates full of crumbs and packets of crisps. Falco was first to notice his friends.

"Hi,"

"Hi, Falco! What happened? Tell us!" said Samus.

Fox looked up from a magazine he was reading.

"Yawn…. Hi," yawned Fox drowsily. "You wouldn't believe what happened…"

He stretched his tired arms and folded them behind his head.

"Do you think we should? I mean, you know what _he _said…"

"I know that, Falco," Fox sighed. "We'll have to tell you guys later, OK?"

"Why? What's happened? Is it serious?" asked Zelda worriedly.

"Shh! Lower your voice!" hissed Fox. "Look, come here at midnight tonight. It's very important. I also want to discuss something else with you when you come back.

The whole room was silent. The scribbling of Dr Mario's pen on the opposite side of the room made them snap back to their conversation.

"Oh, here! We grabbed a few snacks on the way!" said Link cheerfully, handing the snacks to Fox and Falco.

"Wow, guys! Great stuff!" said Fox, grabbing a packet of crisps.

"With all the stuff that's being served in this hospital, you'd think it's a five star hotel!" chuckled Falco between mouthfuls of chocolate. "Oh, and I almost forgot; who's Koji been interviewing?"

The three Smashers exchanged glances with one another. Their smiles widened, almost breaking into laughter.

"What?"

"Captain Falcon was interviewed first but he was interrupted by Wario," Link explained. "Wario challenged him to a race which everyone watched in the garden and… guess who won?"

"Who?" said Fox and Falco at the same time.

"Wario!"

"No way! Falcon always wins!"

"Yeah! He won!"

"Sounds great, but I can't stress this enough: you _must _come back here at midnight!" Fox interrupted desperately.

"But _why_?" whined Samus.

"You'll see." said Fox calmly.

"But bring some more snacks up! We'll have another feast!" said Falco, tossing his blue chocolate wrapper away.

"We'll tell you everything," whispered Fox. "For now, just don't mention to anyone that I told you this."

Samus, Link and Zelda quietly left the room, Dr Mario oblivious to the conversation ever taking place as he fiddled with an assortment of coloured liquids.

They cautiously peered around the first corner to check if anyone was there. They ran along the corridor, watching out for any of the other Smashers, which they did; Kirby was hopping happily along the corridor towards them.

"Hi, guys!" he exclaimed.

"Hi, Kirby!" the three other Smashers greeted him.

"I've just been interviewed! It's so cool! Koji told me to tell you that it's Link and Zelda's turn to be interviewed now!"

"Er… OK. Thanks, Kirby," said Zelda, looking at Link with a nervous look.

"Don't look scared, Zelda!" Kirby reassured her. "He's great!"

Zelda and Link set off down the corridor after saying goodbye to Samus.

As they approached Master Hand's office door at the end of the longest corridor in the mansion, an eerie aura seemed to emanate from nowhere. Link opened the door and saw Koji sitting at Master Hand's desk with the film crew behind him.

"Oh, hello!" he said cheerfully. "Take a seat, filming will begin shortly,"

11:45pm. The day had passed quickly. Nearly everyone had been interviewed by the extremely optimistic Koji.

But now the whole mansion was silent apart from three hushed voices in the shadows. The whispers echoed softly through the mansion yet no one was woken.

Zelda, Link and Samus swiftly shot through the deserted corridors as they kept an eye out for anyone who would send them back to their rooms.

After a few minutes they ended up at the hospital door. Obscured in the shadows were two sitting figures waiting quietly.

"You're early!" one of them whispered through the dark in surprise.

"Sorry Falco, but we wanted to be early!" said Link quietly.

"It's no big deal," Fox replied. "Come on, follow me. We can't waste any time"

Fox jumped out of his seat and walked in front of them. The hallways weren't lit at night, so the three wary Smashers relied on Fox and Falco's keen eyesight to guide them in the dark.

"It's not too far from here," whispered Fox almost inaudibly. "Just around this corner,"

They carried on. Sure enough, Fox stopped abruptly as they turned the next corner.

Zelda touched the wall. Her fingers swept over wooden boards nailed onto a door. She gasped. "But I thought-"

"Shh! Falco, unlock the door,"

Link, Samus and Zelda heard no rattle of a key in a lock. A tiny click and the creak of the door opening was all they could hear.

"Quick! Get in!" said Falco.

Everyone rushed inside the mysterious room, the door slowly closing behind them. A flash of light flickered from the ceiling as Fox flicked on the light switch. The light stung their eyes as a plain wooden table and a few chairs materialised before them.

"OK, everyone grab a seat. I'll explain everything,"

The Smashers silently sat down on the old plastic chairs placed around the table. Fox attempted to clear his throat but remembered that he still had to keep his voice down.

"Right. Now you're all here, I can tell you why I dragged you all out of bed so late at night. It's about… the incident two days ago when you were told about the gunshots coming from Master Hand's office."

Everyone was silent. Fox was keen to keep the effect as short as possible, so he continued:

"After I won the fight, I went off to find Falco. It was strange that he wasn't about, but Captain Falcon told me that he was with Master Hand. So, I made my way to his office. But… when I got there, it wasn't just them. Yoshiki was there with his security guards. I always saw Yoshiki as suspicious, but never dangerous…"

"Why dangerous?" Samus murmured.

"Because… He was armed with a gun. The security had katana. They threatened Mater Hand."

Zelda covered her mouth with her hands in shock. Link put his arm around her in comfort.

"Master Hand was forced to come to a decision: Let him stay in the mansion for as long as he pleases or force him to leave. But to force Yoshiki to leave meant that one Smasher would have to die. And… seeing as Falco was in the room already…"

"No way…" breathed Link.

"I'm afraid so," sighed Fox. "Luckily, however, we both escaped from the office. But not without getting shot first."

"So all that stuff you heard from whoever about there being a commercial was crap!" said Falco furiously.

"Keep your voice down!" hissed Fox. "Yeah, it was a big fat lie to cover up for what really happened. We knew that if we told anyone we would be taking a huge risk but we couldn't hide this. Master Hand was willing to kill one of us to save himself. What kind of leader would do that?"

No one answered.

"Exactly. I wanted to hold this meeting so we could plan to get rid of Yoshiki and Master Hand. He claims that he would never do such a thing but why would it lead to this? Master Hand was forced to let this murderer into the mansion. I can't understand why he would want to get in here so desperately."

"We've been in the mansion with… a _murder_er?" said Zelda, her voice growing weak.

"But Master Hand has more power than all of the Smashers combined!" exclaimed Samus. "He could have got rid of him by now!"

"We know," Falco replied impatiently. "They might be in this together. They could be planning to kill all of us. If this secret gets passed on to anyone else then we're risking killing all of the Smashers including ourselves."

"I was thinking of holding a meeting every night," said Fox. "No one will know except us. That's if you agree not to tell anyone else…"

Link, Zelda and Samus nodded their heads in agreement. Fox smiled weakly and yawned.

"Thanks guys. Same time tomorrow, OK? Don't get caught."

Thus, the conversation ended. Like the end of a formal court hearing, no one spoke. Fox approached the door and reached up to turn the light off, but hesitated, frozen to the spot in fear.

"No…" he said under his breath.

The four other Smashers stopped. Terror etched onto their faces as they heard a very small tapping noise outside the door. The atmosphere of the dilapidated room was buzzing with adrenaline burning through them all.

"Hide."

That one word sent panic searing through them. But the room didn't have anything big enough to hide behind. Even the table was useless. All they could do was wait.

"Get your sword out, Link." said Falco, taking out his blaster. "Zelda and Samus… use your magic."

"That won't be necessary…"

A voice echoed maliciously from behind the door. There was no mistaking who it was.

The door shook with tremendous force as it was kicked furiously. It fell to the ground within seconds, revealing the tall, thin figure of Yoshiki standing in the doorway, gun in hand.

"Shit…" Falco murmured.

"Ha… So you thought you could try and warn your friends about me, could you?" Yoshiki sneered, stepping casually into the room. Link pulled out his Master sword. "You knew what would happen if you tried to defy me, yet you choose to go ahead. You're more stupid than I thought."

"We can't let you carry on doing this," growled Fox, getting his blaster.

"You don't have a clue what I'm up to," Yoshiki replied. "It wouldn't hurt if I told you that I'll be taking all worthy Smashers to my superior mansion. All of those who are unworthy are killed. Simple, really. Once I've gotten rid of the weak Smashers I will let them battle at my mansion where only the ultimate fighter will survive."

"You think I'm _weak_?" yelled Falco, pointing his blaster at Yoshiki's head. "You think Fox is weak? Then why the hell are we here fighting in this mansion?! Master Hand chose us because of our skill!"

Yoshiki sneered at the bird. "He clearly doesn't have a clue," smiled the youth. "I have the brains to be a TV presenter, manager and ruler of the Smashers. That stupid glove, however, is very easily persuaded when it comes to saving his own life and killing one of his own Smashers. It's just a shame that I haven't killed any of you yet…"

"No one is going to be killed!" said Fox angrily.

"Oh yeah?" Yoshiki challenged, pointing his gun at him. "You and that birdbrain couldn't even stand a gunshot to the leg and shoulder! Hey, do you remember that race yesterday? Gravity-defying stunts, a hole leading into the mansion…Yeah. I thought I could get rid of that racer and fat man by racing them on a dangerous racetrack."

"What? But Captain Falcon and Wario are brilliant fighters!" Samus interrupted irately.

"But with brains the size of peas they won't get far," said Yoshiki. "Anyway, I've said too much. Now how could I stop you from telling everyone else? Oh yeah… I guess I could shoot you. Who's first? Hmmm… the dog, the pigeon, the man in the dress, the damsel in the distress or something off of Star Wars?"

He pointed his gun at each of them as he mocked them.

"How about the one who I actually wanted to kill first? The one who Master Hand thought he could confide in… Falco!"

His face contorted into a disgusting look of satisfaction as he aimed at Falco.

"And this time there's no escape…"

* * *

**Scaaaaaary! Yeah, I decided to add swearing because you can't imagine Falco not swearing can you? In my last chapter I promised that I would try and not take so long in writing but it's so hard! I will try to get my chappies up whenever I can though. In the next chapter... will Yoshiki get to kill Falco? I've been very evil so far but will I actually let him? MWA HA HA HA HA! You'll have to find out!**

**OK! It's time to review, peeps! Please review!**


	7. The Journey to Revolution SMASH

**Next chapter! It didn't take too long this time! Yoshiki's plan is revealed in this chapter so plz R&R! You now know that Yoshiki is freaky and wierd and stuffs but his actual plan is even FREAKIER! Well, I hope you think it is.. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any SSBM characters but I _do_ own Yoshiki Inukai, Takeshi Deguchi and Koji Konda.**

* * *

Denying defeat failed to surface to mind. They had suffered defeat and they knew it. It was a battle like no other which they had participated in the Smash Mansion, but now it was all about to end with… a single gunshot. 

A few seconds of painful silence passed. The five Smashers waited for Yoshiki's triumphant cry of satisfaction penetrate them like the sole bullet in his gun, but it never came. Yoshiki savoured their fear as if he were watching the best part of a film.

"…Well?" Falco's calm voice broke the silence. "You want this to end, don't you? Go ahead!"

"What?!" exclaimed Fox. "Don't-"

"He will fulfil his promise to Master Hand. Once one Smasher is gone, he'll leave,"

"You can't do that!" said Zelda fearfully. "He'll take the rest of the Smashers! If you let him do this, he'll leave but take the rest of us with him!"

"That's right, Zelda," Yoshiki interrupted coolly. "He _is_, after all, one of the unworthy Smashers. Master Hand didn't know that I was planning to form a superior team of Smashers and kill the rest when he signed that contract."

A look of bewilderment crossed the Smashers faces.

"Contract?" repeated Fox. "What's that about?!"

"It's of no concern to you," Yoshiki replied arrogantly. "…Unworthy Smasher…"

Fox didn't dare to show his fury.

"But… why start this in the first place?" said Samus inquiringly. "You probably earn over a million yen each month! You're the manager of SMASH! News and a TV presenter… Why do you want more fame?"

That was a new approach to the situation which Yoshiki wasn't prepared for. He stared at his gun.

"I…"

"Greed." said Falco simply. "He'll do anything to get his hands on more money… even if it means that he has to kill someone in order to get it,"

Yoshiki growled.

"You're right, Falco," he said angrily. "I killed my parents just so I could inherit their money and fame. I've killed several of my film crew just because they disagreed with my behaviour. My girlfriend met the same fate. Yes, yes, it is all about my greed to succeed. Anyway, that was in the past, and I just told you something that not even the media know about. Plus, shouldn't I get to the killing? The one thing which will bring me more of the fame and money that I deserve?"

"Like I said, go ahead," said Falco casually. "You're starting to get annoying…"

"No! You-"

"Fine!"

Yoshiki roared over Zelda's plea and a bullet tore through the air in the less than a second. The Smashers stared in horror, not sure of who to look at.

Instead of a smile of contentment, Yoshiki's face was blank. The gun shook in his hand.

"Heh… You insisted…" Falco smiled.

The four other Smashers had little time to witness the amazing challenge of the reflexes as Falco quickly activated his reflector to send the bullet back at Yoshiki. It had shot back at Yoshiki's stomach.

"My l-last bullet!" he cried out in anguish. "Y-you… how…"

"No time for that, 'Freaky Shiki'! We're outta here!"

Falco's triumphant call signalled to his friends that now was the time to run back and alert everyone. Without even looking back, the five Smashers escaped the old office and darted back towards their rooms, the sound of their desperate footsteps and heavy breathing resonating throughout the mansion walls like ghostly voices.

"Now what?" said Link.

"Need to warn everyone…Yoshiki's weak… We need to-"

"What?! We've woken up security!"

Samus pointed just over Fox's head at the lumbering, fatigued guards racing down the corridor, katana in hand. The thundering of feet was not just in front of them; it was also behind. They were trapped…

Samus charged her cannon and fired a blast of energy at the security, knocking several backwards at least two feet. However this wasn't enough to deter them. Eventually, they stopped, blocking off the corridor on both sides.

"Tomorrow it begins… I w-will… prove to y-you t-that I will rule over the Smash t-tournaments and its c-contestants…"

On cue once again was the chilling voice of Yoshiki rang alarmingly through the hallway, clutching at the wound on his stomach. How he got there so fast was beyond belief…

"Yeah, right!" yelled Falco. "Once everyone hears about you…"

"But they won't. I may be down but I'm not out, especially with these guys," said Yoshiki, his hand outstretched towards the guards in front of him. "Knock them out… Leave the killing to me…"

Many of the guards stepped backward; only the five strongest were left standing close to the Smashers. Unsheathing their katana and unfazed by the continuous fire of blaster shots and energy blasting, they struck the blades down with terrifying force.

All five Smashers sank to the ground, unconscious. The guards backed away. You could still see the terror frozen on Zelda's face.

Yoshiki smiled evilly.

* * *

"Everything's ready for tomorrow. It's a shame you won't be able to watch the chaos later this morning…" 

"Hey! HEY!"

The words pounded in his head.

"Are you OK?"

A pair of green eyes flickered under their eyelids. A blurry image emerged before him, steadily becoming clearer.

"Finally! Someone's awake!"

The deep voice belonged to a tall man clad in black and grey combat gear. Fox immediately recognised it as Snake.

"Wha-? Who… Ow! My head!"

"Uh…what's all the noise about, eh?"

The grumpy remark belonged to Falco.

"What's going on?"

"It's not good, guys," Snake replied with a sigh. "Marth, Roy, Pit, Metaknight and I are the only ones left. Yoshiki's taken everyone else…"

Link, Zelda and Samus groaned as they woke up. They were surprised to find themselves lying on the carpet.

"Ah! Snake! Yoshiki found us early and he tried to kill us and, and-"

"I know," Snake answered Zelda calmly. "He caused havoc this morning. Most of the Smashers have gone. They've been kidnapped by Yoshiki. If only Koji had filmed it…"

"Speaking of which, where is Koji?" Link asked, rubbing his head.

"Oh, he's in the dining hall making this dramatic drama scene for the media about the missing Smashers and who kidnapped them."

"But wait! We've made a breakthrough people! Some Smashers are still here!"

Koji, his face flushed and astounded, zoomed around the corner with two cameramen following him. He stopped several inches before the fallen Smashers, almost collapsing onto them.

"I can't believe it! They're still here! Could you tell us what happen?"

"No…" replied Fox intoned, speaking slowly as if talking to a small child. "Look, we're in a lot of pain right now…"

"Are you OK? Dr Mario's been taken too, but I'm sure I could sort you out-"

"NO! I mean, er… well, no, Koji. We'll be _fine_, won't we, Fox?"

Falco nudged Fox with his elbow, nodding his head.

"Er, yeah, we're OK," said Fox discontentedly. Any treatment was good enough in their situation.

Suddenly, heavy footsteps resonated through the hallway again, this time belonging to a blue-haired swordsman, a red-haired swordsman and Metaknight. Pit hastily flew alongside them, bow in hand.

"They're still here!" exclaimed Roy. "Guys! We've made a breakthrough!"

"Breakthrough?!" Koji repeated, his eyes lighting up and his brain seemingly switching to hyper mode. "This is live, guys, tell us the news! Look at the _camera_!!"

Marth grimaced, frustrated. "Look, Koji, just shut up for a second, OK? This is nothing to do with you!"

Koji backed away, muttering something to the cameramen. To tell the truth, they weren't in the least bit concerned by what was going on.

Meanwhile, Marth approached the Smashers with a piece of crumpled paper.

"Look at this, guys!" he said, crouching down to their level.

"Ah…" Snake nodded his head in understanding.

"What?" said Samus excitedly.

Marth smoothed out the paper on the ground. This is what was written:

僕の秘計はあぶなく見つかるだ。

僕は胡乱けど,の信用を勝つだ。

僕は有るまじきなスマシャーを殺します。

マスターハンドは負けましたも。

明日に始まる。

芳樹

世死期

"…And what's all that about then?" said Falco after Marth read out the Japanese text. "Translation please!"

"OK, in English, this means: My plan was almost discovered. I may look suspicious but I've gained the Smashers trust. I will kill all unworthy Smashers. Master Hand is also defeated. Tomorrow it begins. Yoshiki."

"Look at the five kanji at the end," murmured Snake. "He's spelt his name with different kanji on the last line… Whilst his real name would stand for something like 'fragrant tree', he's spelt his name in kanji which stands for 'the world or this generation's time of death',"

"That is weird…" said Pit quietly. "But what does he mean by 'Tomorrow it begins.'?"

He looked down at his friends expectantly, but was met by blank and discouraged faces in return. All except for one.

"Wait! Don't you remember?" exclaimed Fox, turning to the other Smashers behind him. "He said that he had his own mansion! He was taking the so-called superior Smashers there and killing all of those who were unworthy! Surely you must… oh…"

Amnesia still lingered deep within his friend's minds, an obstinate fog obscuring last night and early morning's events. All they could do to show their approval was smile.

"You mean that this was planned from day one since Yoshiki got here?" queried Metaknight.

"That's right." said Fox sighing. "But he's not the only one: Master Hand has betrayed us too. He was willing to kill Falco to save himself."

"Master Hand?" Roy repeated.

"Why is this conversation still running?" groaned Metaknight, tapping his small feet. "We could have got to his mansion by now!"

"I agree, but Metaknight had made a good point there; where _is_ his mansion?"

Snake looked around for someone to answer, but no one spoke. He sighed loudly and scanned the paper one last time, checking the front and back. He sighed again.

"Honestly," he said, jabbing his finger on the back of the paper. "It's from his manager diary. Inukai Mansion… oh. OK, it doesn't say anything about the planet."

"Come on," Fox said simply. "We'll just have to ask for directions,"

At this point, Koji ran in front of Fox waving his microphone madly.

"I know where Yoshiki's mansion is! His mansion is in Ibaraki prefecture in Japan but his tournaments are fought on his own planet. The problem is, the only way you can get to the 'Revolution SMASH' planet as he calls it, you need to use the portal in his mansion."

"Now how did I know something like that was gonna happen…" Falco wondered aloud sarcastically. "Looks like we're gonna have to take you with us."

"Woooo!"

"OK, OK, enough of that, we need to get the Smashers back!"

"How are we getting there?" asked Pit, flying ahead of Fox.

"The StarFox ship of course!" the fox replied enthusiastically and sprinting ahead, leaving no time for Link, Zelda and Samus to heave themselves off of the floor.

"That is… I think that's right…"

"No time for that! If you're so unsure about it, you go to Japan and we'll go to his planet," said Fox.

Koji looked around nervously. Marth patted him on the shoulder

"I'll come with you!" he smiled. "You coming, Roy?"

"Yeah!"

"It's settled then," said Snake firmly. "Everyone else will go in Fox's ship."

"OK, let's go!"

The ten Smashers and the now not-so-keen Koji Konda ran through the corridors and into the outside garage; a gargantuan steel dome-like structure. Recently updated and made larger to fit in Metaknight's huge ship, the Battleship Halberd, Fox's ship, along with Samus' was parked in the middle of the garage. There was also a new, smaller vehicle there.

Fox, Falco, Link, Samus, Zelda and Snake boarded the Great Fox whilst Koji, Marth, Roy and his cameramen –strangely inconspicuous to the rest of the group for some reason - boarded Koji's black ship.

Very little was said between them. Koji clambered into his vehicle last.

On board, with no explanation of how long the journey would take, Koji pressed a few buttons on a panel at the front of the ship and hovered a few inches above the ground. Marth and Roy pressed their faces against the window and waved. A few seconds later, the vehicle coughed a cloud of fire and smoke and left.

"We'd better get going," sighed Fox, looking at the new temporary members of his crew. "We're gonna have to take directions later, but apart from that, the journey should be fine."

The eager adventurers nodded their heads.

The Great Fox roared into life. Koji's ship was now just a fading speck in the sky. Suddenly, the enormous grey ship hovered in the air a few inches.

Another button was pressed, and the journey was finally underway…

* * *

**And so from now on, you'll get to hear from two different perspectives: Fox's team and Koji's team. Oh wait, make that THREE teams! I might add Inukai-san's perspective so we can check up on the rest of the Smashers... Oh well, I'll make it up as I go along XD See ya laterz!**

**And now (drumroll please) review time! Plz review!**


	8. Distractions

**Next chappy! Took a while to write but here it is! Most of the Smashers have been kidnapped by Yoshiki. What about Master Hand? You'll have to wait to find out more about him! Oh and don't worry, I haven't forgotten abut Crazy Hand who hasn't even made an appearence yet (apart from when Yoshiki mentions him in Chapter 2)!**

**Please R&R! Thnx!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SSB characters, Mc. Donalds, Burger King or it's Whopper burger but I do own Yoshiki Inukai, Koji Konda (if you don't get this by now...) and Takeshi Deguchi (haven't heard from him in the story much, eh?)**

* * *

"Yaaaay! Burger King!"

"Er, Koji, aren't we suppose to be going to Yoshiki's mansion?"

"Yeah, but we do need food, don't we?"

Using his high-tech satellite navigation system, Koji zoomed into Ibaraki prefecture in Japan and looked at the places on the map. Burger King was still approximately 8,200 miles away at this point, but Koji had already made up his mind that they were going there.

"Here's the menu, guys! Choose your meal!"

He fumbled through a drawer next to him, pulled out the latest edition of the Burger King menu and handed it to the curious Marth and Roy.

"Looks good!" said Roy who was now beginning to salivate

"Cool!" exclaimed Marth. "Mmm… Burger…"

Satisfied that his passengers were no longer nagging him, Koji drove on through the vast darkness ahead of him. Roy and Marth continued to discuss what they were going to eat. Since they were from a different world, they weren't familiar with the concepts of fast-food restaurants, - Roy looked a little confused at the word 'Whopper' before realising it was a burger – nevertheless, it would be a new experience that they could brag about to the other Smashers later.

They had covered a thousand miles during those few minutes, and, for the first time throughout the journey, they wanted to go somewhere completely irrelevant to their mission. Well, they hadn't been gone for long. They left two hours ago.

Meanwhile, Fox and his team were on track… or so we thought…

"We're gonna have to get directions…" Link sighed as he stared out of the window.

"We will in a minute," Zelda replied. "Hey, do you think everyone's OK? That Yoshiki… And poor Peach! She told me the other day that she hoped he would ask her out for a date!"

"WHAT?! Peach loved Yoshiki?" exclaimed Snake, suddenly ending his conversation with Pit about his previous adventures. "Why would she love _him_? He's not even handsome!"

Zelda smiled awkwardly. "Well... When Yoshiki first came here, I did… I mean, he _does_ look really, um, attractive…"

"You loved him too?!" Link gasped. "But how-"

"No! No! It was nothing! Honest!"

"We can't blame her," added Pit. "He _is_ good-looking… to girls I mean! But underneath that attractive exterior the interior he is ugly."

"Exactly!" said Zelda firmly, blushing. "Exactly, Pit! It's just that… when I saw him for the first time, he just gives you that strange feeling in your heart when you see someone who looks so handsome…"

"I see…" murmured Snake quietly.

"I didn't know he was a murderer," said Zelda impatiently. "Anyway, it isn't my fault that he looks charming… But I still love Link of course! Don't ever doubt that, Link!"

Link tried to smile but the thought of his girlfriend thinking such thoughts refused any movement in his lips.

"It's alright, Zelda," he said. "Don't worry about it."

Pit's eyes shifted nervously from Link to Zelda before finally resting upon Snake's again so that his own conversation could continue. Metaknight was also deeply interested in Zelda's conversation, yet, sensing no reply to it, resumed looking out of the window again.

"Hello! This is your captain speaking! We will now be taking a short break on some unknown planet, so get ready to disembark the ship,"

Fox's voice rang through the surround sound speakers. Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. The rattling of the ship's engine ceased as the Great Fox lowered itself onto the aforementioned planet.

Everyone clambered out and stared in awe at the extraordinary, colossal metropolis towering above them. A mass of neon lights glowed on the grey skyscraper-like structures in the perpetual darkness of space; the only source of light.

"Ah! Isn't that…?"

Falco squinted through the lights at a familiar sight. "Woooo! Mc. Donalds!"

"Well, we were supposed to be here to ask directions, but… I guess a snack wouldn't hurt!" said Fox, trying to retain his captain-like formality. "Woah, and that's not the only fast-food restaurant… all the famous ones from Earth are here too! Who would've thought it, eh? Hey!"

Fox was left wondering aloud to himself as the other Smashers made a beeline for the restaurants, leaving him behind.

Despite looking like it was inhabited by extraterrestrial life, this planet was part of the Nintendo universe and was in fact inhabited by humans. Plus, even though the city appeared huge, in comparison to neighbouring planets, it was tiny. Thus, the planet was seen as a 'Service Station Planet' used mainly by travellers who would stop off to gather supplies or stay the night.

Fox finally caught up with the other Smashers who were gathered around the restaurants.

"Can we eat? Can we eat?" asked Pit excitedly, floating animatedly around a lamppost.

"Well, I guess I can trust you all to meet me back here…" Fox pondered, stroking his chin. "Go ahead, guys! I'll meet you here!"

With a triumphant cry, Pit grabbed Link by the arm and dragged him off into the nearest bistro; one that filled the air with a distinct, Italian aroma. Zelda hastily ran off with them. Snake walked off on his own, disappearing into the crowds. Metaknight followed him, but then decided to explore on his own.

"Right, where should we go?" said Fox, staring around at the shops with interest.

"Don't mind. How about that one?" Falco pointed to an oriental-looking restaurant next to the one which Pit, Link and Zelda had been dragged into.

"Sure, but you're paying,"

"What?!" squawked Falco. "Why me?! I've got no money on me!"

"Joke, Falco. Come on!"

And so the fox and bird, inconspicuous amongst the throng of humans and various other creatures, entered the crimson and gold building and sat in the nearest seats.

Time went by ever so slowly for the team, but they never forgot their friends and considered their temporary stop as a way of 'getting their energy levels high' before the final showdown. Nevertheless, regret lingered within them like a flu virus. Their happiness was short-lived even as they ate, and they soon returned to their meeting place to discuss their next actions.

"That pizza was delicious…" Pit sighed dreamily, his wings flapping wearily. "You lot missed out on the biggest pizza fest ever…"

"He's tired," whispered Zelda with a smile.

"I've spoken to someone in the restaurant Falco and I were in," said Fox, changing the subject. "We're far from our destination so we'd better get a move on,"

"You guys should catch up on some sleep," added Falco. "I can tell this is gonna be a long night… or day or whatever…"

* * *

A gentle humming broke the silence that hung in the room. Everyone looked up at the source of the noise then looked back down at their feet. Even the sweetest of melodies couldn't lift the ominous cloud of gloom around them.

Nana stopped humming and rested her head on Popo's shoulder, sighing sadly. Lying or sitting on stone pillars or benches were Smashers, cold and confined in a damp dungeon. Day could have been night; night could have been day… No one knew. That was usually how far the topic of conversation would range. Captain Falcon rested his head on his hand feeling defeated and ashamed. First he was beaten by Wario – who was also in the dungeon and making life a lot worse than it should be –and now he was being controlled by an intimidating assassin. He didn't express his feelings much and often waited for a conversation to pop up in which he could have his say. Eventually, that time came.

"I wonder where Peach is," sighed Mario, looking at his brother. "I didn't see her when we were taken away by Yoshiki…"

"…Do you think she escaped?" asked Captain Falcon.

"No, I saw her. She was with us a few hours ago but Yoshiki took her away." Luigi replied. "You don't think…"

"No. Yoshiki wouldn't have done that." Mario said firmly. "She'll be fine. I'm sure of it."

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Roy or Marth either," said Ike.

"And what about Link, Zelda, Fox, Falco, Pit, Metaknight and Snake?" Donkey Kong wondered aloud. "They weren't taken by Yoshiki!"

The group fell quiet. Ness and Kirby sat together on a broken stone pillar whispering about something. This whispering began to irritate Mewtwo.

"Peach is fine," he said gravely, trying to stop the whispering and gain their attention. "I sense that Peach is unharmed."

Mario's eyes lit up.

"Really? Mewtwo! You could use your powers to detect the whereabouts of Peach and the other Smashers!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Mewtwo closed his eyes in thought.

"I could try…" he murmured quietly.

All of the Smashers held their breath, all eyes fixed on Mewtwo. He frowned, a foreboding feeling creeping in the air. A minute passed and there was still no word from him.

"Er…Mewtwo?"

Ness broke the silence. Mewtwo calmly opened his eyes.

"I could see it too," said Ness solemnly. "I could see what was happening,"

"What? What happened?" Bowser demanded anxiously.

"The Smashers…" Mewtwo began, "Are unharmed. I sense that Marth and Roy are very far away. They are moving away from us along with three other people."

"But Fox, Falco, Link, Zelda, Metaknight, Snake and Pit," Ness interrupted. "Are coming this way. They, too, are fine."

"But what about Peach?" Luigi piped up.

All eyes were on Mewtwo again.

"Like I said, Peach is fine. In fact, she is very happy."

Luigi frowned, confused. The other Smashers looked relieved but nervous.

"Why would she be happy?" asked Ganondorf.

Mewtwo sighed; irritated that Ganondorf also had to join in.

"Well," he said, accentuating the word. "Peach is not the only one who's happy. I can also see Yoshiki, and he looks happy too. In fact…"

There was silence again as Mewtwo and Ness concentrated on what they saw through their physic powers. Ness was first to express his shock.

"No way!" he yelled, surprising the others. "She-she-"

"What, Ness?" said Mario, leaping to his feet.

"If only we could show you what was happening," said Mewtwo solemnly. His expression was black yet he masked his true feeling of dread.  
"I can't believe it…" whispered Ness.

"Stop keeping us on pins and needles! Tell us!" said Kirby, hopping up and down.

Ness calmed himself.

"OK, guys, what I saw was…"

* * *

"Put on your human clothes, please!"

With a smile and nod, Koji handed over two T-shirts and two pairs of jeans to his wary passengers. They accepted them and set off in opposite directions of the ship.

A few seconds later, Marth returned, his crown removed and looking a little bewildered.

"Koji, are you sure I'll look inconspicuous?"

"Of course!" Koji replied. "No one will notice you're the famous Prince Marth!"

At that same moment, Roy stumbled out the other side of the ship brushing himself down.

"Cool!" he said happily. "This looks great, Koji! Thanks!"

"No problem!" replied Koji. "We're almost at Hitachi, the city where Koji's mansion is."

"We're in Japan already?!" Marth blurted out. "This ship sure is fast!"

Sure enough, Koji didn't need to answer as the ground faded into view outside the ship windows, Japanese signs and banners of all sizes appearing out of nowhere. Roy also jumped up and gasped at the sight below him, immediately experiencing a feeling of being home at last.

It was strange how the huge black ship was unnoticed to the city's residents as it flew by. Then again, it was going so fast that no one would even see it anyway.

Soon, Koji's ship began to decelerate as it moved out of the main part of the city and into the less crowded suburbs. It hovered low to the ground, revealing a spectacular view from the windows of the city from ground level before landing with a quiet thud on someone's garden.

"We're here!" Koji announced, turning to face his passengers. "Inukai Mansion!"

The main door of his ship lifted and the three of them jumped out. Sighing with relief, Koji stared up at the tall building he had parked next to.

"Daddy!"

Marth and Roy turned round to see a little boy around six years old run up to the gate of the mansion.

"Look, Dad! That's Roy!"

A man ran from around the corner after his son.

"Eh? Who's Roy?"

The little boy jumped up and down pointing his finger and Roy excitedly.

"Ah! And that's MARTH!"

The man frowned and scratched his head.

"Sorry about that!" he called to Roy and Marth, ruffling his son's hair. "Too many video games!"

The boy frowned at his dad, but he grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the gates and disappeared from sight. Marth and Roy glowered at Koji.

"Heh heh…" Koji laughed nervously. "Er… Come inside! Just tell me where you want to go and I'll take you there! Oh, and there's someone else I would like you to meet…"

* * *

**And... there! The end of chapter 8! For the next chapter I won't be giving three views, I'll do one view on Fox's team. As the team gets nearer to Revolution SMASH they'll learn more of Yoshiki, his plan and the other Smashers. And what's going on with Peach?! You'll have to wait for chapter 9!**

**OK, time to review! Please review!**


	9. Lost Charisma

**Woooo! It's the next explosive episode of Chaos in the Limelight! All the characters seem to be back on track now but lies ahead? What's happened to the Smashers? What's happened to Master Hand? Is Crazy Hand OK? Ah, so many questions... I can't answer them just yet. Oh, AND I've changed my mind about writing from one point of view; Fox's team _and _Koji's team will be in this chapter. There's a reason why I changed my mind.**

**Yoshi: OH NOES YOSHIKI WILL KILL US ALL!**

**Kyoko: Mwa ha ha ha ha!**

**Yoshi: You're supposed to be sympathetic!**

**Falco: What about me? I nearly died!**

**Kirby: And me! Someone ate my cookies!**

**Yoshi, Falco and Kyoko: ...You ate them.**

**(Kirby runs away embarrassed)**

**Kyoko: OK peeps it's time to get on with the story! Who wants to do the disclaimer?**

**Mario: Me me me!**

**Kyoko: OK. See ya!**

**Mario: Kyoko does not own any of the SSB characters but she _does_ own Yoshiki Inukai, Koji Konda and Takeshi Deguchi!**

* * *

Uncomfortable as it was, it was adequate for the time being. A few blankets were untidily thrown onto the floor as mattresses and a few more blankets to keep them warm. Pit dived under the covers and lay quiet, listening to the soft rumble of the Great Fox's engine. He was unsettled and began to toss and turn, unable to rest. Metaknight and Snake were already asleep despite the disturbance caused by Link, Zelda and Falco who sat talking in the muted light of the ship. Fox, however, strained his eyes against the eternal void of space and stars streaking past at the front of the ship; ignoring his instinct to sleep. 

Seeing as there was nothing else to do, Link, Zelda and Falco decided to talk about their concern for their friends.

"I'm dreading our arrival at Revolution Smash…" whispered Zelda anxiously. "Yoshiki could have-"

"Don't think of such things," Falco interrupted. "They'll be fine. We'll go there, save them, frame Yoshiki and find out where Master Hand disappeared to…"

"Good point," Link yawned wearily. "If what you said is true about Master Hand being involved with Yoshiki's plot to form a superior team of Smashers, we have no choice but to get rid of him too."

The ship suddenly jolted, throwing everyone forward. Fox could be heard swearing.

"He's fine," said Falco, smiling. "He just missed an asteroid that's all."

Link and Zelda gave each other puzzled looks. They shrugged. Zelda decided to rearrange the blankets around them to make them more comfortable, but, feeling too tired to stand up, she used he powers to fold and pull them closer. The end result was a cosy looking nest which surrounded the three.

"That's much better, Zelda, thanks," said Link, lying back.

"Great, thanks. Now, what were we talking about? Oh yeah, that weirdo Yoshiki."

"Who's a weirdo?"

Pit soared out of the blankets in a flash of light and sat opposite Falco. He had suddenly become less tired. "Tell me! Who?"

"Yoshiki," Falco repeated, irritated.

"Oh wow! Cool! You guys are having a sleepover club meeting thing! Can I join in? Please?"

"This isn't a sleepover, Pit," Zelda chuckled. "We're just discussing anything because we can't get to sleep. You can join us if you want to,"

Falco quickly waved his hands in front of him and mouthed 'No!'; however, Pit was already pondering where he could sit. Link was at one end, followed by Zelda and Falco who sat next to him. There was room next to Falco, so he lunged under the covers and reappeared next to him, grinning.

"Okaaaaay…" said Falco. "About Master Hand… We'll have to get rid of him too."

"What about Crazy Hand?" asked Pit. "I haven't seen him in ages!"

The group went quiet.

"...Good point," murmured Link. "He wouldn't have gotten involved in the plot. Something else is going on apart from this…"

"Falco!"

Fox's voice rang from the cockpit. Falco widened yawned and propped his head on Zelda's shoulder.

"What?!" he called.

"Take over, will ya?"

Sighing, Falco pulled himself out of the blankets and crawled towards the cockpit, rolling his eyes at Link and Zelda before disappearing. Pit shuffled along the 'bed' and sat next to Zelda. A few seconds later, a fatigued fox stumbled into the room, flopping onto the soft blankets.

"Are you alright, Fox?" asked Zelda. Fox rolled over and smiled. He lay on back, his paws in the air, his eyes shining with a sleepy dog-like appearance.

"So tired…" Fox said with a yawn. "What're you guys doing up so late… or early…?"

"Sleepover party!" Pit exclaimed excitedly. "Come and join us!"

"Pit…"

Zelda was about to interrupt him but Fox had been defeated by his exhaustion and lay fast asleep.

"Oh well. Next topic of conversation? Food? Geography?"

"This isn't a game show, Pit."

"Oh… OK! You chose languages!"

To Zelda and Link's bewilderment, it appeared that Pit really had gone overboard with the pizzas earlier. His face was lit up with his wide eyes and unusually bright smile.

"YAY! OK OK! Japanese! What does this mean: Pitto ga daisuki!"

There was a grunt in the background as Snake became aroused by the question announcement.

"Heh, too easy," said Snake, resting his head on his hand with his eyes still closed. "That means 'I love Pit'."

"Woooo! Snake loves me!" Pit laughed hysterically, flying out of the blankets and causing the lights to malfunction in his madness. Snake tried to explain that that was only the answer, but was knocked head over heels in the darkness, knocking a disgruntled Metaknight off of his chair.

"What's going in there?" Falco shouted back from the cockpit, worry evident in his voice. "Everything's malfunctioning in here! Hey, Fox!"

Zelda ducked under the covers and cowered next to Link who had covered his head with his hands. Ironically, Fox was still oblivious to the chaotic cat-and-mouse chase between Metaknight and Pit and the ship's engine failing.

"Hey! Get out here, idiot!"

"He can't! He's fast asleep!" yelled Link.

"…Well that's just brilliant…"

"Eh?"

"Fox!"

"Yeah?"

"You're awake!"

"…I know."

"The ship's malfunctioning!"

Amongst the craziness, Fox awoke, dazed, confused, people shouting at him left right and centre like some crazy nightmare. Falco had abandoned his post and shot into the room faster than a bullet.

"HEY! DID YOU HEAR ME?!"

Fox rubbed the back of his neck and gazed absent-mindedly at the ceiling. "Oh, er…"

"FORGET IT! JUST GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW!"

Suddenly, Fox's captain-like formality which had been absent for several hours came rushing back in a surge of adrenaline and fortitude. Without another word, the fox charged through the door and into the cockpit, Falco on his tail.

Zelda peeked over the covers. The engine coughed uncontrollably and sent Pit and Metaknight crashing into the side of the steel walls of the ship and slump onto the blankets again.

"Hee hee… Wrong answer…"

It was impossible to cope with the continuous rumble of the engine and Pit's strange comments, especially when your goal was to catch up on your sleep. Link sighed as some of the noise died down.

"Finally…" he breathed, blinking in the darkness.

"That's the least of our problems now," Zelda whispered, listening out for more worrying jolts of the ship's engine.

The Great Fox swerved to right; all of the passengers were thrown against the wall again.

"What's going on in there?!" Link yelled above the noise.

There was no answer as the ship roared again and the lights flashed like lightning across the room. Pit began to screech like crazy while Metaknight tried to strangle him into unconsciousness and Snake calmed himself and held onto the cockpit's doorframe, casually folding his arms as if the commotion was natural. As for Link and Zelda, they just thought to themselves: 'We've been through worse'.

* * *

As soon as Marth and Roy stepped into Inukai Mansion they were expecting a grand luxurious hall to greet them. Instead, their eyes met the complete opposite. 

The floor was made of marble, but upon the marble was not some magnificent golden staircase as imagined by the swordsmen, but a futuristic office and reception desk. Everything in the room was silver or black.

"This way," said Koji, beckoning them towards an elevator.

The three men walked inside. Koji pressed a few buttons and the machine was suddenly jerked upwards at terrifying speed. Marth knocked into Roy who fell on top of Koji as if they were in a comedy.

"Sorry!" Marth and Roy apologised quickly.

"It's OK," Koji replied, smiling. "Anyway, we're here now. Come on."

Obediently, Marth and Roy waited for the elevator to stop, and stepped out when it did. The next floor was huge; thick stone pillars were situated around the room like in some sort of Roman amphitheatre and men and women bustled through doors and around their desks as if everything was in fast motion.

"This way," said Koji, his voice strangely more formal than before.

Marth and Roy followed him to the end of the row of offices and into a large door with a sign saying: AI HOSHINO: FILMING COORDINATOR.

"It's been a while since I last came here," said Koji, turning red. He knocked on the door twice and entered.

Inside, a tall woman with long light brown hair sat at her laptop typing an email. It looked as if she didn't notice them, so Koji peered around the door. Marth and Roy craned their heads over Koji.

"OK, let's go in," he whispered.

The young woman who looked a bit younger than Koji sighed as she clicked the mouse to send her email. Koji silently crept into the room.

"Hi, Ai,"

The woman's eyes lit up and she closed her laptop shut, startled.

"Ah! Koji! You're back!"

She immediately jumped out of her swivel chair and ran over to him. She threw herself into his arms, seeming close to tears and relieved that he was here.

"How long has it been? Two months?" she exclaimed, never loosening her grip. "What have you been doing, Koji?"

Finally, Koji stood back from her embrace and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh Ai… So much happened! You wouldn't believe me!"

"Well, start from the beginning!" replied Ai, her green eyes glittering.

"OK, um, Ai…"

Koji backed towards the door and opened it fully, revealing Roy and Marth. The woman stared back at them in shock.

"NO WAY!" she said, her voice a mixture of laughter and fan-girl screaming. "Roy and Marth? Oh! I've heard so much about you!"

The swordsmen blushed at Ai and walked into her office, unsure of what to say. Koji shut the door behind him.

"I've been working with the Super Smash Bros. and Master Hand. Yoshiki suddenly left with several of the Smashers to Revolution Smash and left me behind, so… I came here to use the portal."

"…Don't do it, Koji."

A deep voice startled the group. The voice belonged to a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses, casual striped shirt and ripped jeans. It was none other than Takeshi Deguchi. His face was etched with solemnity, his hands clenched into fists.

"Takeshi! Where-"

"That's not important," said Takeshi gravely. "I've seen what Yoshiki wanted to do… It's sickening, Koji. He's stealing the power of the Smashers. His plan is to absorb the energy from the Smashers and merge it with his own computer data to create these… beasts… You mustn't…"

"What do you mean?" demanded Marth. "Computer data?!"

"Yes, Marth," answered Takeshi. "Once power is absorbed from a Smasher, their body is lifeless, merely an empty corpse of no use to him."

There was a stunned silence. Ai, wasn't sure of who to look at.

"I…I don't understand, Koji…" she whispered timidly. "You've been working with him… Has he put _you_ in any danger? And the Smashers… how could he?"

Koji ran his hand through his spiked blonde hair as he reminisced the time when Yoshiki eyed him in a suspicious way in one of the corridors of the Smash Mansion. They had never really got on well, but sometimes they used to have great conversations with one another.

Koji shook his head as he turned to face Roy and Marth.

"This is what you were discussing in the mansion, wasn't it? You were talking about Yoshiki and I had no idea…"

"But that's why we wanted you to take us here," said Roy. "If there _is_ a portal here, we can stop Yoshiki. We didn't want to tell you because…well, you wouldn't panic. If we told you, we thought that you'd get angry or do something reckless meaning that the plan wouldn't work."

"Oh…" Koji replied, smiling weakly. "Well, ya know… That's just my 'presenter charisma'. When I get home you'd think I was a different person."

Takeshi coughed, a subtle message implying the conversation was going slightly off topic.

"Takeshi, will you come with us?" asked Koji. "You're an expert with weapons and stuff so you could help us stop Yoshiki!"

"Koji, I just said it was too dangerous. Forget it."

"But Fox and his team are waiting for us to open the main planet portal!" said Marth angrily. "They're depending on us to join them!"

Ai's lips formed a small smile as she pictured the team of Smashers. She, too, looked at Takeshi with innocent eyes.

"Um…I'll help you," she murmured shyly. "I'll take you to the portal,"

"You will?" Marth and Roy gathered around her.

"Sure," she replied. "Come on, Koji! Takeshi?"

The man crossed his legs on his desk like a stubborn schoolboy. He lifted up his designer sunglasses revealing his dark brown eyes.

"You're mad," he said, shaking his head pitifully.

"Oh, please! Please, Takeshi!" Ai persisted, clasping her hands. "We need you too!"

Takeshi snorted and reached for a packet of cigarettes in his jeans pocket. He put a cigarette into his mouth, took out his lighter and lit it.

"You think you're up for it?"

The team nodded.

"Well, let's get going then."

* * *

**Yay! That's another chappy done! I hope you liked it XD Ai is officially Koji's boyfriend! Chapter 10? Hmmm... dunno. It might take a few days... Oh! The plot! Not tellin'! In the next chapter I'll reveal what the heck was going on in the Great Fox, if Yoshiki has started the absorbing process on the Smashers and what happens when Marth, Roy and co get transported straight to Yoshiki's planet! **

**I hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**


	10. Lost, Lifeless and Alone

**Kyoko: Hi everyone! It's time for chapter 10! Yay!**

**Mario: It's scary!**

**Luigi: I can't believe that-**

**Kyoko: That's my line! Er, yeah. Someone dies, I'm afraid.**

**Luigi: No way!**

**Kyoko: I'm afraid so... MWA HA HA HA HA cough OK I'm done with that. Mario, would you do the disclaimer?**

**Mario: Yeah! JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own Yoshiki Inukai, Koji Konda and Takeshi Deguchi.**

* * *

The Great Fox was submerged into total chaos. The ship swerved erratically, knocking everyone to the floor. Samus dived under the blankets and joined Link and Zelda.

"We should go out there!"

"How?" Link shouted over the noise. "We can hardly stand!"

Samus glanced back at Snake. He had conveniently placed himself near the door so he could hang from it every time they veered in the opposite direction. Metaknight grabbed a feathery blanket and buried himself underneath it, only to discover that the soft quilt was actually Pit's velvety wings and scuttled as far away from him as possible. Zelda had little time to summon her power; every attempt proved futile as she stood tall on her high heels trying to concentrate on what was going on outside but getting knocked down.

"Well, I'm going out there," said Samus firmly. "I'll come back as soon as I can,"

And with that, she stabled herself against the wall, stepping over Metaknight's wings and dragging herself through the doorway and into the cockpit. Inside, Fox was the only one there.

"Where's Falco?" Samus demanded, staggering into the room. "What's going on?!"

Fox was silent for a few seconds, suddenly caught by lethologica. His brain was ordering him to catch up on sleep, but he was pushing himself to breaking point.

"Fox? Hey!"

With a final wrench of a lever, the fox's knees collapsed in exhaustion, dragging his fatigued body to the ground. Samus ran over to him and tried to help him up.

"Are you OK? How long ago did you sleep? Look, I'll take over the ship for a while."

"No, no, no… Well, I guess you do have a ship of your own, but…" Fox lay still, his hand still clasped tightly around the lever. "Look, I'll be fine. Falco's in the Arwing looking for the cause of the commotion… If you stay here I'll be able to help him…"

Samus still had a tight grip on him, uncertain of whether he could stand on his own or not.

"Trust me on this, Samus," Fox assured her. "I've been for days without sleep,"

"…Fine," sighed the bounty hunter, loosening her grip. "Just be careful, OK? Is there anyway which I can keep in contact with you?"

"Yes," Fox replied, nodding his head towards a screen and some buttons. "It's self-explanatory."

Samus stood up and observed the array of lights and levers blinking back at her.

"I'll be back later,"

Samus spun round but Fox had gone, running through the main room where Link, Zelda, Metaknight, Pit and Snake were. Tripping over blankets and Link's foot, he ignored all questions fired at him, and stayed resolute with the wilful decision. Not looking back even once, Fox ran into the nearest Arwing and started its engine. Out of the corner of his eye he could see green projectiles hammer mercilessly onto the Great Fox.

His Arwing floated upwards and out of the mother ship at frightening speed into the vacuum of space. What he saw in front of him literally annihilated his exhaustion. Just ahead of the Great Fox, a great dark shape shot through the darkness with as much, if not more power than it and the same sinister appearance as a black hole. It was a colossal vehicle over twice the size of the Great Fox and was armed with four grey cannons situated on the top and bottom.

Almost invisible against the monstrous craft was another Arwing. It recklessly circled the craft, firing at it with its blasters, narrowly missing one of the green projectiles being fired from it. Fox snarled at his friend's unruliness.

As he shot forward towards the craft, he noticed its wide wing-span. _Perfect._

He flew past the ship, turned round, then slowly fell, balancing the Arwing carefully and lowering himself onto its right wing.

"Fox! What's going on?"

It was Samus' voice on the Arwing intercom.

"What're ya doing?! Are you crazy?!"

"No," Fox breathed. "I'm getting out now but carry on going forward,"

Samus went quiet. Fox hastily got out of his Arwing and steadied himself on the huge wing of the ship. Luckily, a small metal door was in front of him, so he wandered over and grabbed the handle. Eager not to waste any more time, he jerked it open and peered around the corner.

The coast was clear. Up ahead, the corridors were carpeted and small yellow lights blinked on the chrome walls, pools of light dazzling his eyes. The fox sprinted in, tired, but his determination was far from sinking.

A set of automatic door were just ahead. He could see someone inside. He inched forward…

As he stepped closer the doors opened. Blaster in hand, Fox readied his stance and held his breath…

"YAAH! WHA-?!"

A teenage girl with long bright pink hair almost jumped out of her skin as she spotted the fox in the doorway.

"Um, I, er…"

"Shut up! Stop this ship now!" Fox yelled, pointing his blaster at the timid girl.

"But I-"

"NOW!"

The girl flinched fearfully, her tearful eyes darting from the controls to the fox. Anxiously rubbing the back of her neck, she looked towards another woman in a silver shirt and short skirt. She nodded her head in approval.

The girl's hands trembled as she pondered over the controls, biting her lip. Fox clicked his gun impatiently, causing her to cry out in terror.

"Get on with it," Fox growled. "Or else…"

Without another word, the teen pressed a red button and the ship gradually decelerated and stopped; the rumble of its massive engine dying away. As soon as the noise of engine had stopped completely, she slowly turned round and hung her head, unable to meet his eyes.

"What…the hell…WERE YOU THINKING?!" Fox exploded, baring his teeth. "Who are you?!"

The girl opened her mouth but made no sound. She gulped and tried to meet his gaze.

"I…I'm Fumiko Kawai… I-I honestly didn't… I mean…"

Fox's hand twitched on the trigger.

"Yoshiki ordered me to destroy your ship. It matched his description… huge, grey, the 'StarFox' sign on the side… I'm part of his team. I was forced into this. I'm sorry…"

She choked on her words, tearing her gaze away and collapsing to the floor in tears. The woman beside her didn't know how to comfort her, so she stood back and stared in shock.

Fox lowered his blaster and stared at her in disbelief. He wasn't sure of what to say.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said quietly, walking towards her. "I thought you were brainwashed by Yoshiki into killing me and my crew,"

"Well, I was kinda persuaded…" Fumiko whispered, her voice taking on a more suspicious tone.

"Persuaded?" Fox repeated. "How can you be persuaded? How could you agree to something which could eventually kill _you_?"

The girl fell quiet, sweeping back her hair with her hand. "Yoshiki holds me in high regard," she said elegantly. "He expects me to do my job, and that's what I'm doing. If he found out that I'd failed, then he'd kill me…"

"I need to get to Revolution Smash," said Fox, his instincts suddenly warning him to ready himself again. He raised his blaster again. "You would know where that is. Take me and my crew there."

A look of surprise appeared on Fumiko's face. "…It's risky…"

"I don't care what it takes as long as I get there in one piece."

Fumiko overemphasized her pondering by holding a finger to her lips in thought and smiling sweetly. She shrugged.

"Why not?" she replied pleasantly. "You get back in your little ship and I'll go on ahead."

Fox watched her. She smiled kindly before turning her back on him and pressing some buttons. He left her without another word.

As he got outside and back into his Arwing, Falco's face popped up on the intercom screen.

"OK, WHAT was THAT about? I thought you'd died in there!" the bird exclaimed.

"Result, Falco! There's a girl in there that's willing to take us to Revolution Smash, but be careful… she acts a bit weird. Anyway, get back into the Great Fox. We'll tell everyone the news."

The Arwing engine rumbled into life again. The black ship still remained stationary as he flew off and back into the Great Fox. The experience had sapped more energy than he'd hoped, but he felt it was worth it.

* * *

In the starlit conservatory of a grand building looking like what she would have conjured up in a romantic dream, Peach sat at a small dining table and gazed up at the glittering constellations above her head. She couldn't recall a time when she had been happier. She had just finished eating her plate of bolognese and lay relaxed on her chair, gazing dreamily at the man opposite her.

Yoshiki had also finished his meal and watched Peach's face shine in the dancing candlelight from the table. He had spent the whole day with her; playing a game of tennis, watching films, even allowing her to see her friends. They, on the other hand, pleaded with Peach to not go back with him, but she kindly refused, assuring them that she would be fine.

"Peach?"

Peach was distracted from her daydream.

"Shall we go, now?"

A tempting smile crept onto Yoshiki's face. How could she refuse?

"Yes," said Peach confidently.

They stood up at the same time and exited the conservatory. They walked along the still corridors, listening to their footsteps echo past them. Now and again there was a shuffling sound and ghostly voices whispering in the darkness; then it would quieten down and silence would be resumed once more.

At the end of a seemingly endless hallway was an intricately carved metal door. There was a password machine just at the side of it which Yoshiki used to press a long code. The doors slid open as soon as he's finished.

"You first," he smiled captivatingly.

Peach nodded and walked inside.

The sight before her stole her breath. Just like in the conservatory, stars twinkled above her head, lighting the everlasting darkness of space and the dark purple room. At the far end, a luxurious bed stood before her. Her heart leapt.

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll be back in a minute," said Yoshiki.

Peach wanted to reply, but the door shut before she could say anything else.

She was all alone. The bed seemed particularly inviting. She took a few tentative steps towards it as if it were a dangerous animal, then backed away and dived onto it. The feathery quilt brushed against her hands, a soothing quality. Scrambling towards the end of the bed, she snuggled inside and lay in silence.

She breathed slowly and deeply. Indeed, the scent of Yoshiki surrounded her and she felt calm and relaxed. It was hard to believe what she was doing, but Peach had no doubts. She knew exactly what she was doing.

"Are you comfortable, Peach?" came the voice of Yoshiki. Peach looked around but saw no one.

"Yes," she said, calming herself.

"Good…because it's the last time you ever will be."

SNAP

In less than a second, thick metal bars crossed over the bed and pinned her to it. The whole room faded into rippling chrome nothingness, settled, and revealed itself as a colossal lab. Peach struggled against the binding bars but she was too weak to move them.

"I thank you for trusting me,"

Yoshiki casually sauntered into through the double doors of his room, armed with both a gun and katana. Screaming couldn't express Peach's surging emotions as she lay helpless on the bed; when she tried to scream, she immediately froze in pure fear.

"You could have listened to your friends," said Yoshiki, his hands on his hips. "But no. Peach knows best. But this is a good thing, Peach; this is part of my plan. By taking your life and giving it my own creation I can create the ultimate Smash characters. This is a revolution in Smash, hence the name of this planet: Revolution Smash."

"You… You never liked me? This was all some disgusting plan to give you more fame?" Peach spat irately. "You make me sick…"

"Ha, say all you want!" Yoshiki taunted. "With a flick of this lever next to me, the body which you are in now will become lifeless; merely a corpse of no use to me. Your life will be given to something which will create the new generation of Smashers."

Peach lay in stunned silence, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"There are many monsters I have created, but I only choose certain victims. You're not an unruly person who is hard to control, so that is why I have chosen you. Born leaders such as Fox are too strong willed to be controlled. I'll deal with them later. Anyway, enough talking. I loved our little get-together, the dinner, the date… Sorry but the 'sleeping with you' part was not on the list!"

His hand was on the lever. It was all going to plan. More fame was on the horizon and it was calling his name.

"Yoshiki…please…"

Peach's voice shook with fear as the man before her watched her spent the last few seconds of her life in terror.

"It was nice meeting you, Peach," he replied, tightening his grip. "Sayonara…"

A short yet painful death ensued the pulling of the lever. A large mechanical device behind the bed clicked, sending bolts of electricity through the metal bars that held Peach down. The shock killed Peach in seconds.

As her body fell limp, the machine died down. Adrenaline pulsated through Yoshiki's veins, his desires fuelled by his most recent murder. Not once did he flinch at the gruesome death.

"And now…" he breathed, turning away from the body. "To sort out the others…"

* * *

**One Smasher is gone... Yoshiki killed someone! Finally! laughs nervously as Peach Fans glare at her Er, yeah. In chapter 11, Koji's team arrive at Revolution Smash but will they survive? Plus, Fox and his team follow the mysterious Fumiko Kawai towards Yoshiki's planet.**

**Thnx for reading the chappy!**

**Plz plz review!**


	11. Dangerous to be Oblivious

Kyoko: Woohoo chapter 11 is up! There's more murder! O.o

Mario: OH NOES DON'T KILL ME!

Kyoko: Hmm... Let me think. Should I kill him, guys?

Bowser: Yeah, go on then. It would save me doing it.

Mario: NOOOOO!

Kyoko: Ha ha only joking! Anyway, let's get on with the show! Who wants to do the disclaimer?

Link: Yay! Me! OK, er... JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she _does_ own Yoshiki Inukai, Takeshi Deguchi, Koji Konda, Ai Hoshino and Fumiko Kawai.

* * *

The atmosphere of the Great Fox was filled with a reassuring stillness since Fox had given the news to his crew. He resumed his duty as pilot to follow Fumiko while Falco sat in the main room with the rest of the passengers to catch up on his sleep.

It had turned out that when the two of them arrived back to the ship, Metaknight had successfully threatened Pit into calming down. Pit was no where to be seen, but a large mound of pillows were shuffling in the corner far from everyone else. Samus continued to look through manuals and magazines in the cabinets on the wall, and this time Snake decided to join her.

The other two passengers seemed the most sensible of the group at that time; Link and Zelda were fast asleep in a pile of soft blankets. However, though he also wanted to get some sleep, Falco couldn't settle down.

He wandered back into the cockpit for the fifth time in what seemed like half and hour.

"Falco, stop pacing. You're staring to get annoying." Fox sighed, noticing his reflection on the intercom screen.

"Oh, sorry," Falco replied. "I just can't get to sleep. Shall I take over?"

"Er, yeah, sure,"

It was clear that Fox needed sleep more than his companion. He dragged his tired legs towards the blanket-filled paradise and disappeared from sight. Falco immediately took his place at the pilot's seat and stared ahead through the glass windows and out into space.

Jets of red and yellows fired out of invisible exhaust pipes far in the distance, the only sign of life. This was of course Fumiko's ship, and Fox and Falco depended on her to get them and their crew to Revolution Smash in one piece.

Falco could tell that they were almost there; there was this tense feeling in the air that they were close. But little did the crew know of what events had occurred over the past few hours.

Koji was reunited with his girlfriend and Takeshi and his team had been transported to Yoshiki's planet at which half an hour before they arrived a Smasher was killed.

Innocent as they were, now was not the time to be oblivious. It was _dangerous_ to be oblivious. Where were Master and Crazy Hand when they needed them most? Crazy Hand hadn't been seen or heard from since Yoshiki arrived at the Smash Mansion, then again, he spent most of his time wrecking things and not many Smashers saw him much anyway. As for Master Hand, he could be anywhere. Perhaps he had joined Koji.

Suddenly, Falco's eyes widened as he spotted something up ahead. As you couldn't define a horizon in space, he was unsure of how far away it was, but there clearly was something out there shining.

"Hi!"

The bird jumped as a loud voice came from the intercom.

"Fumiko! How did you get-"

"We'll be arriving at Revolution Smash shortly," the girl interrupted sweetly.

"You don't need that air-hostess tone with me," Falco replied, annoyed.

"Oh…Well…"

Fumiko's voice faded away. Falco sighed and lay back on his seat.

The yellow sphere blinking ahead was gradually getting larger. Lights were flashing around it as if they were orbiting it like moons. At this point, Falco pressed down a button on the control panel and said, keeping in mind that he was being hypocritical,

"Hi there, Smashers! This is your pilot, Falco, speaking! Yeah, we're gonna be landing in less ten minutes so get ready!"

A triumphant smile broke over his face as he flopped back and stared at the ceiling after telling the news. They were actually going there. Everything would be back to normal in no time…

Inhaling deeply, Falco turned round and squinted through the cockpit and into the dimly lit main room. No one had heard him. He tapped the edges of his chair, impatiently rolled his eyes. He turned round and pressed the same button again.

"I said…HI THERE SMASHERS! THIS IS YOUR PILOT, FALCO, SPEAKING! WE'RE LANDING IN LESS THAN TEN MINUTES!"

Six heads shot up at once. In the darkness, opaque shapes shuffled around the room, groaning and yawning. Falco laughed and pushed the aforementioned button once more.

"Thank you for your patience! I hope you've enjoyed your flight on the Great Fox!"

* * *

"…This is it?"

"This is it…"

A vast red-carpeted hallway stretched far ahead, one unlike any other they had seen before, even surpassing the elegance of the grand Smash Mansion itself.

At last, Koji and his team had arrived. This was Revolution Smash.

Ai clung onto Koji's arm, shaken from the journey there and the fact that she was afraid of what Takeshi had told her not so long ago. Even after that, she felt that she still had pieces missing in the explanation.

Marth and Roy stepped out of the portal and stared down the corridor with interest. As beautiful as it was, they couldn't help but realise something hidden deep with it, something hidden between the lines.

"Marth, doesn't this look like…"

The walls had caught Roy's eye. His hand reached out and ran over the embossed texture of the cream wallpaper.

"Of course…" Marth replied. "This is just like the Smash Mansion except… it's changed. It's like it's been updated or something…"

Takeshi leaned back on the wall and pulled out his packet of cigarettes and lighter. He seemed more leader-like than Koji, and it was just as well seeing as it was himself who got them to this stage. In fact, the more you looked at him, the more you would compare him to Snake, not just for his looks, but for his personality and approach to situations.

"Hey, guys," he said, putting the cigarette in his mouth and lighting it. "Let's go."

Takeshi walked ahead and the rest of them followed him along the corridor.

Marth and Roy unsheathed their swords whilst Takeshi revealed that he also owned his own weapon; a black gun larger than the average handgun. Ai was startled that everyone had been holding a weapon, but not as surprised as when her boyfriend exposed the gun hidden on his belt.

"Koji! How long have you-"

"Shh! Keep quiet or we might be discovered!"

It was painful to watch his girlfriend with her lack of understanding of the importance of the matter, but Koji had to go on. So many questions and so little time…

"Stay here." Takeshi whispered, raising his gun as they neared the corner.

Their 'new leader' crept silently towards the corner and peered around it. Luckily, no one was there, but it seemed odd that nobody was patrolling the mansion for intruders.

"Right, come on guys," he said, leaning back. "The rest of the Smashers should be around here. In a few minutes I expect that Fox and his team will arrive at the vehicle portal entrance."

"Shouldn't someone wait for them there?" asked Roy.

"As soon as we pass it, I'll tell you," Takeshi replied. "I've been here many times, so I know where we're going,"

And so they carried on. As they did so, they noticed the hallways become more and more elegant in style. Takeshi was now certain that there was no need for them to be so cautious, so they walked at a faster pace.

"Takeshi, what if Yoshiki is just around the corner? Shouldn't we slow down a little?"

Takeshi stopped in his tracks and spun around.

"Ai, don't worry," he smiled reassuringly, his hands on his hips. "Before I became a film co-ordinator I was a professional in kendo and karate. If Yoshiki happens to come along and a simple gunshot doesn't work, I always have other tricks up my sleeve."

She looked back at him with the same worried expression, but loosened her grip on Koji's arm. Takeshi turned around and carried on walking.

Eventually, they all came to a huge, dome-like area in which in front of them were two gold arches and curved windows signifying the entrance and exit of the planet. There was nothing much to look at outside except a grey landing platform and the brilliant light of the stars and colourful nebulae.

"This is the portal entrance. Now that we've opened the portal from Japan, Fox should be able to land here."

Takeshi strode over to the automatic glass doors and stood just out of range for them to detect him.

"Who wants to wait for them?"

"I will," said Marth.

"Good. Right, when they come, tell Fox that we're waiting for him, OK?"

Marth nodded in approval and took his place next to the doors as Takeshi walked back to the group. He had a firm hold on his sword as he gazed out into space. By the time the swordsman had snapped out of his trance, his friends had vanished, and the room suddenly felt much colder. A foreboding air hung around the entrance portal which Marth became all too aware of, and he didn't know where to turn.

A few seconds later, piercing screams tore the silence.

"…Ice-Climbers…" Marth whispered under his breath.

_Should I leave? What if Fox arrives? What about my team?_

Marth had little time to think of his actions, particularly of the consequences of his choice.

His feet scuffed the floor in sudden hesitation. Whipping his head in all directions, he listened again, but nothing more was heard.

Marth looked back. He couldn't see the Great Fox anywhere.

He had made up his mind. He couldn't leave his team to fight alone. With one last glance back to towards the window, he fearfully hurried in the direction his friends had gone, just as another scream pierced the air once more…

* * *

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Pit called in a muffled sing song voice from under his blanket.

"Yaaaahhh! He's awake!" Metaknight roared furiously. "KILL HIM!"

"YAAAAAHH!"

"Hey! Hey! Stop it you two!" said Samus, pushing the last of a pile of magazines into a cabinet. "_Nobody_ is killing _anyone_!"

The small purple creature glared at Samus form behind his visor and pouted like a spoilt child. Only when Samus raised her eyebrows and readied her battle stance did Metaknight concede defeat and apologise to a terrified angel.

"You kids shut up back there!" Falco called back in a disturbed parent-like manner. Pit smiled back at the bird innocently before resuming a playful blanket-fight with a bad-tempered Metaknight. Samus smiled at this.

Surprisingly, during her time on the Great Fox, Samus had noticed that she developed a keener sense of understanding of everyone around her, including fellow veterans such as Link and Zelda whom she had known for years. Whilst her character seemed enshrouded by some impenetrable barrier for most of the journey, this barrier was in fact helping her define her personality more. To put it simply, she wanted to get to know everyone better before they all arrived on Revolution Smash, just because she felt that it would be the last time she would see them together. When the lighting failed, she no longer felt the presence of her friends, she couldn't hear Pit's screeching or Metaknight's yelling. She silently promised to herself that she never let any of them out of her sight.

"Samus? Samus!"

_Ah… Me and my daydreaming…_

Looking down at her from above was Snake. Samus had been lying on her back and had been completely unaware of the sudden thud of the ship landing.

"Oh, we've arrived?" she yawned, accepting his hand in helping her up.

"This is it," Snake confirmed with a weak smile. "Everyone else is waiting,"

Samus almost collapsed as she tried to stand. Her legs obviously seemed a little more tired than she though they would. Finally, she and Snake walked out of the Great Fox and onto Revolution Smash's entrance platform.

"Oh my… It's so beautiful…" Zelda sighed, staring into the golden entrance room of the building. "Come on! Let's go in!"

"Hold it," said Fox suddenly. "I thought Koji would wait for us here. He should have gotten here by now."

"Pit…Metaknight…"

The antics of the angel and sword-wielding rival of Kirby had tested Falco's temper for some time whilst they laughed and raced around his head. Link stepped between the bird and the clowns and held out his hand.

THUMP

In less than a second, Metaknight crashed into Link's outstretched, leaving him suspended in the air with his legs wiggling frantically.

"Um…let's just go in anyway…"

It didn't take long for the rest of the Smashers to agree. After one last glance back at the Great Fox against the backdrop of stars, the team filed into Revolution Smash's main building.

A warm, welcoming glow radiated from the tiny lamps of the foyer and a pleasing feeling sank in. It made a wonderful change from the Great Fox's cold interiors. There was, however, the same calm atmosphere which was created by the soft light. The ceiling stretched several metres high; simply staring up at it made you feel dizzy.

"So…" Fox began, engrossed by the luxury of the room, "…Er, well, we'd better stay together. Oh, and have your weapons out at all times."

The group nodded silently. The only sound which broke the silence was the tapping of Zelda's shoes against the floor.

"Hey, Fox, you see a little nervous there," said Snake, joining the fox at the front of the line. "You're not scared of that weirdo Yoshiki are you?"

Fox breathed out slowly, avoiding the gaze and the question. Snake waited patiently for his answer. "Ha…of course not. I mean… come on! What could he… I mean, ya know…"

Snake chuckled and put his arm on his shoulder. "Fox, you don't need to hide it. Even I'm scared of what that guy can do."

"You think I didn't know that already?"

"No, no, of course not! I'm just saying that I may not have been in the saving-the-world business as long as you but I know what you must be thinking right now, being leader and all."

Reminiscent thoughts crossed Fox's mind at that moment. Yes, it was true that he had saved worlds, no, more than worlds, the universe, but he always found a weak point in his last enemy. Yoshiki seemed to have no weakness. Nevertheless, Fox smiled appreciatively at Snake.

"You're right," he said, walking a little faster. "Everything will be just-"

"YAAAAAAAAHH!"

A terrified scream penetrated the room like a knife. It was a cry so sonorous it could have caused the room to collapse from vibration.

"NO! YOSHIKI!"

That was it. That cry of distress triggered a murderous side to the vulpine. He couldn't bear it any more. The fox sprinted away, loyal blaster in his hand and teeth bared, leaving the other Smashers far behind.

Even then the bloodcurdling scream ceased to end. It rang in their ears over and over…

_This is where it ends Yoshiki…_

So many rooms… So many doors…

_You can't carry on like this…_

His legs were begging him to rest… But he carried on… The corridor was getting shorter…

_You think I'm unworthy of my title as a Smasher? I'll show you what this unworthy Smasher can do…_

* * *

**Dun dun dun! More Smashers have been killed! WOOT! I mean, er... OH NOES!! I didn't reveal any names but I know exactly which three Smashers I've gotten rid of. Plus, there's gonna be a big shock as Yoshiki finds the intruders! That's all I can say about the next chapter for now but it'll be more action-packed than this one.**

**Please review!**


	12. Reminiscence

**Kyoko: FINALLY! My computer's been acting wierd so I haven't been able to use the internet for ages!! That means I haven't been able to see any Smash Dojo updates, which I should do right now. But when I checked my emails at school, the forum threads had some really interesting news on a new character...**

**Mario: What the-? Where'e ya been? Mama mia!**

**Luigi: Phew! Thought you'd abandoned us! I'm glad you're back!**

**Kyoko: Thanks! Now, who wants to do a disclaimer?**

**Zelda: I will! JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own Yoshiki Inukai, Takeshi Deguchi, Koji Konda, Ai Hoshino and Fumiko Kawai.**

* * *

"I knew it… It's here… Hurry up!"

Takeshi tore through the corridors like a bullet. Nothing could stop him. _Sorry, pal, but I'm not letting you do this…_

"Yaaah! Koji! Slow down! I can't keep up!"

The brown haired teen, Ai, tripped over her feet as Koji pulled her along, their arms still strongly linked together. Tension seared through their skin, adrenalin boiled within them. They knew nothing of what horrors that Yoshiki was concocting in his secret room hidden in the building, but one thing was definitely clear; someone had fallen victim to his malice. Marth and Roy were all too aware of this.

The two swordsmen caught up with Takeshi at the front of the group. Koji and Ai were left behind to struggle in their bond.

"Just ahead, guys," said Takeshi, wiping the sweat from his brow. He raised his weapon as he neared the corner. "The first door on the right… That's the one…"

Marth and Roy were too breathless to reply, but exchanged nervous glances with each other. It felt as though they were crossing the boundaries of enemy territory; marching onward into an unpredictable battlefield where the opponent lay in wait.

The team turned the corner. Sprawled in the glow of the reflections of stars was a beautiful hall glittering in the warm glow of the candles standing from stone corbels. Five magnificent wooden doors were at the very end of the room. It looked as though Yoshiki was really dedicated when it came to architecture. Every little detail was important, right down to the little cut glass ornaments refracting the starlight onto the floor.

At first it seemed very quiet, but as they expected there was a shuffling and tapping sound from the first door on the right. The team's attention was directed towards this door and they tentatively crept towards it, all weapons drawn.

"Everyone ready?"

The team nodded. The truth was they were actually terrified. Takeshi reached out and grabbed the door handle. The door was unusually small and hidden against the wall.

_Click_

The latch turned painfully slow; a beam of light shot through the door. They couldn't go back now.

"... Come on!" their leader hissed. He proceeded in edging through the narrow opening and peered around it into the room. "That's strange…"

"What?" asked Koji.

"…He's not there."

_Hi, I'm Ness. I'm not sure how long I've been here, but it's starting to bug me real bad. Yoshiki came into the room a few times and took a few of us away. Bowser and Ganondorf tried to subdue him from harming us but their attempts were in vain. Somehow Yoshiki managed to stun us with this weird round object. I remember Zelda telling us once about when she turns into Sheik she can disappear by throwing this nut-like thing on the ground. I think he used something like that._

_I'm starting to miss the people who've gone, especially Kirby. There's not much to talk about despite all that's happened. Mario and Luigi aren't they usual selves either. Bowser had given up on tormenting them ages ago but they're constantly worried about Peach. It's unfortunate that Mr Game and Watch can't express himself as easily as we can, but then again, I can't bear to see anyone else upset right now._

_Yoshi has been really twitchy too. We haven't been fed since we got here and he's started to flick his tongue out at anything that moves! And as for the rest, well… nothing much happens. It's so boring._

_Meh, why am I writing this anyway? I guess it's just to pass the time really. OK, bye. Oh, what's that sound…?_

"What's that, Ness?"

The young psychic dropped his paper and pen in surprise. A tall shadow loomed over him.

"Looks like an interesting little story there…"

Ness hadn't realised that the other Smashers were looking at him. He slowly turned his head and yelled in shock. The figure grabbed him violently by the back of his shirt and hoisted him into the air.

"Shut up, brat! There's no point in screaming!"

Yoshiki smirked at the struggling boy wriggling in his inescapable grasp. A flash of blue exploded from Ness's hands and injected itself through his captor's arms but he stayed still. Not even a powerful PK Thunder could make him let go.

"Let go of him! He's only a kid!" Bowser roared, his red eyes burning with rage.

"It doesn't matter whether he's a kid or not," Yoshiki replied, his voice suddenly cooler. "He has talent, and that's why I need him."

Mewtwo's eyes flickered at the comment. "Why would he be of such importance? Why have you taken the others?"

"Heh heh… You'll find out soon enough, but Ness won't be there to find out I'm afraid…"

The Koopa King charged in fury, crashing towards the wall. Pikachu and Pichu watched from atop a stone pillar in fright, tightly closing their eyes as the lizard lumbered forward and shook the room. However, Bowser's fight came to no result as Yoshiki teleported from sight in a brilliant yellow light. Bowser was left with his claws embedded deep into the rock wall, incensed.

On the other side of the wall though, Yoshiki felt very pleased to be carrying his latest victim towards his fate. However this conceit was short as he realised that he was not in his room, but in the corridor just outside the room they had left.

"YAAH! YOU IDIOT!" he yelled into Ness's ear, tightening the grip on his shirt. "I'll have to walk there now! It's all your fault squirming about like that! It messed up the signal!"

Ness dared not reply. Falling limp in his hand caused neither harm nor security but at least he could compose himself. Without another word, Yoshiki nervously ran his free hand through his navy hair and ran down the corridor as fast as he could. The main door to his room was far from where they were at the moment, so he decided to take the short cut to his hidden door.

It wasn't long before he carried Ness into the huge starlit conservatory. For a second he thought he could see the figure of Peach staring back at him with tearful eyes. This illusion wouldn't fade even after he tore away his gaze, so he hastily advanced towards the hidden door on the right.

Then he stopped… he could feel the presence of someone else. There was more than just himself and Ness in the room.

"Don't…make…a sound…"

Yoshiki clasped his hand over Ness's mouth to ensure that he was quiet whether he heard him or not. His brown eyes darted around the conservatory; staring into the pools of light dancing around feet.

He took a step forward. The sound echoed. It was the only sound to be heard. Ness shifted uncomfortably. Yoshiki had pressed him against his chest as if he was protecting him and he could hear his quick heartbeat pounding in his ear.

"Keep still…" Yoshiki whispered apprehensively.

They listened again… There was something there. Instinctively, Yoshiki drew his gun. _Come on… I'm ready for ya…_

"Wait for me!"

"Shut up! He'll hear you!"

"Oh, sorry…"

"Pit, don't annoy me…"

"I'm not! Yay!"

_So you've made it here…_

Footsteps thundered towards him. There was no mistaking it now. Fear was apparent in his stance, his grip on Ness strengthened even more. He didn't want to run. This was his home and he had a right to dispose of intruders, no matter what their business was.

Shadows were shooting along the marble floor. There was glimpse of orange against the cream walls. A few seconds later, hoarse breathing shattered the tense silence. Without anywhere to hide –and certainly having no intention in finding one- the entrepreneur stared into the eyes of an irate vulpine, blaster in hand, eyes ablaze and murder returned in his gaze.

"There you are…" he breathed, stepping into the conservatory. It took him a few seconds to register that he was holding Ness since his eyesight was hindered by his pounding head.

"Stay back!" Yoshiki replied coolly. "Or else the kid gets it."

Terrified, Ness curled into a ball as Yoshiki's gun was pushed against his head.

"You wouldn't dare…" the fox replied, baring his teeth. "Put him down, Yoshiki."

Before Yoshiki could reply, the rest of Fox's team gathered around him in uncomfortable silence. Yoshiki resumed,

"You think I'm gonna throw my dream away just like that? Forget it, Fox. Since that day I arrived at the Smash Mansion you knew I was up to something but it never stopped me wondering who would survive to become the superior Smashers…"

Fox paused. "…Superior Smashers? What do you mean?!" he demanded.

Yoshiki was silent. If it was to be revealed that he was 'killing' Smashers to benefit him in his career, imagine how that would go down with the press… On the other hand he was staring at death in the face, taking top priority in his list of things to be worried about.

"I…"

"What's the matter? You afraid?" Falco taunted, also aiming his blaster at Yoshiki's head. "Just let me shoot him, Fox. I need my revenge…"

CRASH

Suddenly, the door that Yoshiki was about to enter moments before slammed back to reveal several figures. Bursting forth into the fray was Takeshi, gun equipped and his team following him. Whilst Fox's team were startled, Yoshiki maintained his calm level-headedness.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, YOSHIKI!" he yelled.

"Er… yeah. I'm standing here in front of you Takeshi. What's the problem?"

"…WHAT?! You know damn well what I'm on about!"

He turned to Fox's team with a desperate look on his face.

"Fox, get your team outta here, ya hear me?!"

The Smashers on the other side of the room exchanged fearful glances. Happy was not the word to describe their reunion after so long; it was what they had hoped for, but seeing Ness caught in the middle of it and everyone at gunpoint made it far from pleasing.

"We can't leave now!" said Falco. "We've gotta get everyone outta here first… Whoah… Wait a second…"

Falco's companion knew why he had stopped in mid-sentence. Dread rose within his stomach. Fox looked back at Yoshiki and lowered his blaster.

"Yoshiki, you didn't… kill anyone… did you? Tell me you didn't…"

No answer.

"TELL ME!"

"Fox! He's taking the life from the Smashers and adding them to his own creations! He's already killed five Smashers!"

The vulpine froze. It felt as though time had slowed down as the last sentence was said. Five Smashers… dead. He didn't want to imagine who those unlucky individuals were. The other Smashers, Koji and Ai stood horror-struck on either side of the murderer.

"Takeshi…"

The gun was lowered from Ness's head. His breathing was fast, his hands trembling.

"Don't say any more… Don't tell them anything else…"

It wasn't a plea, far from one; the murderer was merely trying to protect himself. Takeshi was his film director. He couldn't disobey his boss.

"I thought I knew you better, Yoshiki," said Takeshi, circling him until he was standing in front of him. He stared back at Fox. After the horror he and his friends had just witnessed, he couldn't put into words of what he saw. It was painful, not just to himself, he knew that, but pitiful to whom it was to be said to.

"Those who were killed…"

Yoshiki dropped Ness and thrust his gun at Takeshi's chest.

"If you say another word…"

"They need to know, Yoshiki…" Takeshi growled. "These Smashers need to know who has been killed. They need to know who _you_ killed…"

Pit and Metaknight surprisingly kept a formal expression throughout the whole conversation, yet when they heard that five of their friends had died, Metaknight hung his head and Pit forced back mournful tears. Link and Zelda held each others hand and Samus' feelings couldn't be detected from outside her helmet, though she was obviously devastated by the way her hands holding her chest.

"Smashers, I'm sorry but…"

The gun clicked. Yoshiki was longing to kill him.

"Takeshi! No! You'll get killed!"

Koji tried to run forward and pull Takeshi back but he ignored him.

"Yes, listen to Koji," said Yoshiki, an evil smile widening on his face. "I'm glad you haven't betrayed me…"

Koji said nothing. After learning a lot later than everyone else about Yoshiki's plans, he knew that he couldn't stay act as if everything was fine. In fact, he considered himself unemployed straight away.

"…What's got into you, Yoshiki? We used to be friends but now all you think about is money. Life's not all about money. You have your fame, why don't you feel satisfied with what you've got?"

A look of confusion and anger crossed Yoshiki's mind but then faded into one of sadness. Looking back on his life, the mistakes he had made, recalling huge chunks of his life he had failed to live when he was younger and the path he took when he entered the TV industry with a mind full of new ideas made him think of what he wished he could change. The gun lowered.

"Takeshi…I…"

His head hung low, his eyes devoid of vitality. He hadn't experienced such an overwhelming emotion in what felt like years. Why was he letting himself think back to his past? The past was behind him now; there was no need to look back again.

"I…"

"Yoshiki… It doesn't have to end like this..."

Grabbing him tightly by both shoulders, Takeshi stared deep into Yoshiki's eyes. Somewhere deep within those eyes was the kind, caring Yoshiki which he had known for many years. The times they shared as friends laughing, joking around… it was a distant memory… but still alive. _But… where are those memories? Why won't you remember? We've worked together as a team for many years, ever since we left college. You can't throw them away now…_

Takeshi tried to smile, trying encouraging his old friend to come back to his senses.

"Yoshiki, you were doing fine before you started this. You're famous, you have money and you have fans… That's enough isn't it?"

"I…Look, Takeshi… I'm…sorry…"

"W-what?!"

"I'm sorry…"

Takeshi stood back in shock. Even the Smashers were amazed that Yoshiki would say that after all he's done. Yoshiki lifted his head smiled, and this time it had no trace of evil.

"And…you mean that?" stuttered Takeshi, taking another step back.

The man standing before him stared back at him, his eyes suddenly full of energy. He nodded.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied. He walked forward and patted Takeshi on the back in a friendly manner. "Well, I guess it should end like this."

"I-I'm glad you came to your senses." said Takeshi, smiling weakly. "I thought there was nothing which could change your ways."

Link looked suspicious. No one had ever seen Yoshiki like this. He couldn't change just like that, could he? He alerted Zelda of this who quickly told Fox and Falco of what Link was thinking.

"I think you're right." Fox whispered.

"Hey, Yoshiki!"

"Falco!"

"What?"

Yoshiki turned and smiled. "Yeah?"

"If you really have changed, then you'll tell us who you've killed!"

Fox slapped his head with his hand. They couldn't be asking him that now.

"Of course," said Yoshiki. "You _do_ have a right to know, Falco. In fact, Takeshi didn't realise that I've actually killed six."

"Don't be cocky, it's nothing to be proud of," Falco growled, appalled. "Just tell us!"

Takeshi observed Yoshiki's edgy movement. "No, no, I'm not proud of it," he sighed, tucking his gun away and keeping a tight hold on it. "I've killed… Peach, the Ice-Climbers, Ike, Kirby and…"

His voice faded into suspenseful silence as it echoed through the room. Marth and Roy didn't see anyone else in the other room, then again, they didn't really stay long enough to look at things in detail.

"Well?" Falco insisted. "Who else?"

"Who was it, Yoshiki?" asked Takeshi, his eyes wide with fear.

Yoshiki closed his eyes and said nothing. His mouth curled into a smile and he shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's…"

"Yes?" said Takeshi.

"…You…"

BANG

Flipping out his gun from his belt, Yoshiki thrust it forward and pulled the trigger. Takeshi Deguchi yelled in pain as a single bullet became lodged in his chest and he fell to the ground, dead.

Zelda, Samus and Ai screamed as he became motionless. Yoshiki pointed his gun at each of them, silencing them immediately. After that, he smiled at Koji with satisfaction etched on his face.

Ness had jumped from the loud shot and clung to Ai's leg fretfully. The other Smashers standing before him were frozen, absorbed by disgust and disbelief. Automatic instinct snapped Fox and Falco's blasters back into firing position.

"I knew it…" said Falco. "You couldn't fool me. Let me kill him, Fox, I'd love to see him in pain…"

"NO! No… We can't…"

"And…why's that?" Yoshiki inquired curiously, taking a few steps around the dead body.

"You know why…" Fox snarled. "There's more we need to know. You know where the rest of the Smashers are…"

After taking a few more slow steps around Takeshi, Yoshiki stopped.

"That's right. Very cunning and sly, Fox,"

He shoved his gun back into his pocket and folded his arms.

"And it's not just the Smashers that I have; have you ever wondered what happened to Master Hand?"

There was an uneasy stillness at that point. Master Hand was considered as a great leader until the events that occurred when Yoshiki arrived. Since then he was never spoken of in admiration. Falco disappointedly returned his blaster to its holster.

"If you want to see him, I'll show you to him," said Yoshiki, surprisingly eager. "You may have thought him as evil, but that was entirely my fault. I've managed to capture him and add him to a creation of mine. Only the greatest Smashers can destroy him, and when I mean greatest, I mean the superior kind."

"Take us there!" Koji demanded, stepping forth with his gun ready.

"That's what I was about to do if you'd let me finish," said Yoshiki. "Smashers, the Master Hand you know is dead. In a few minutes you'll be staring at the greatest Smasher ever created along with my other victims. This, Smashers, will be the start of my revolution…"

* * *

**Wow, longest chapter yet! OH NOES! Takeshi Deguchi got killed! Master Hand is dead too? Or is he? And now the other Smasher's names have been confirmed... If my computer doesn't go wierd again (which I guarantee won't happen again!!) I'll get the next chapter up soon!**

**Please review!**


	13. We need to go on

**Kyoko: This took AGES to write but now I present to you... Chapter 13! It's the longest chapter yet! This is a very sad chapter I'm afraid...**

**Mario: Why's that?**

**Kyoko: I'm not tellin'!**

**Zelda: Make sure I don't die, OK?**

**Kyoko: I'm not saying who's going to die, OK? You'll just have to read it! Anyway, who's going to do the disclaimer?**

**Bowser: Me! JapanFan Kyoko does not own any of the SSB characters but she _does_ own Yoshiki Inukai, Takeshi Deguchi, Koji Konda, Ai Hoshino and Fumiko Kawai.**

* * *

Koji was reluctant to follow his ex-boss and leave Takeshi. Glancing back at his dead friend with a saddened expression, he felt tears well in his eyes. He tried to force them back, aware of Yoshiki's eyes glaring at him from behind, yet he couldn't contain his sorrow any more.

"Koji… Koji, it's OK… Please don't…"

Ai held him tightly as Koji's knees gave way. Yoshiki stared at him blankly.

"Don't be so pathetic, Koji," he spat acidly. "This is just the beginning. You'd better get used to more than one dead body around here…"

"No one else is going to die except you," Roy interrupted, unsheathing his sword. Yoshiki merely laughed at the challenger and suddenly unsheathed his own katana from no where.

"You seem confident, Roy. Maybe whilst the others fight we'll have our own little duel…"

Yoshiki briskly turned away and walked on. Roy stood still and waited until everyone had gone past him before joining Marth.

"If he thinks he can act all cool around us then he's got another thing coming…" he growled.

Marth didn't reply. He looked ahead, watching the other Smashers disappear around the corner. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him. Pulling his friend back, he warily scanned the area.

"Roy! While they go with Yoshiki we could look for the Smashers!"

His friend anxiously bit his lip.

"I dunno, Marth… That sounds too risky…" he replied. "I mean, Koji and Fox will be worried and stuff and-"

"Roy!"

"Yeah?"

"Come on!"

Without waiting for him to reply, Roy was dragged by his cape in the opposite direction from where everyone else had gone.

They noticed as they ran –or in Roy's case, stumbled- through the wide corridors that the lights had seemingly lost their glow the further they went. It no longer seemed as though the hallways belonged to a luxurious mansion on a distant planet; instead it had the disturbing appearance of an abandoned basement in a haunted house. Indeed, the mansion had been transformed from an innocent work place into an inescapable death-trap. Yet Marth and Roy carried on…

* * *

Meanwhile, although they had only been walking for a minute, Koji, the Smashers and Yoshiki proceeded into a dimly lit hallway devoid of the luxury it had boasted about in the conservatory. Just ahead was another corner lit by a soft light in a stone corbel. As the group turned, the lights suddenly became a lot brighter, revealing a large purple door glittering before them. 

Yoshiki said nothing as he moved a little more quickly and shuffled to the right of it, concentrating on the password-operated panel which would lead them inside.

Metaknight and Pit stood together in perturbed silence, glancing around at the lights flickering in their eyes. The horrifying experience had amazingly bonded everyone together rather than discouraging them. Link and Zelda had linked arms just like Koji and Ai. The former workers of Yoshiki held each other tightly in fear of losing one another and, despite Yoshiki's looks of disgust, even passionately kissed, fearing it may be their last. Snake was still the same on the outside, but on the inside he had formed a stronger determination to help his team and succeed. Ness remained inconspicuous in the group, and as for Fox and Falco, a stronger friendship was apparent and their willpower had grown even more as was the case during each of their adventures together.

"Get in," said Yoshiki, standing aside as the doors slid open.

The Smashers, Koji and Ai warily stepped into the room, Yoshiki walking behind them and watching their every move.

The room was brightly lit and took some getting used to. The walls… You couldn't define any. It was just a large expanse of gold nothingness with no horizon to define it. Below them there was neither shadow nor reflection; above them was no ceiling.

"W-what is this place?" Samus gasped.

Irritatingly, there was no reply. Yoshiki walked towards what looked like the middle of the room and watched them wait impatiently for an answer.

Turning away he finally replied, "This is where Master Hand is."

"…Master Hand is here? But where is he?" exclaimed Pit, fluttering his wings restlessly.

"In front of you of course…"

They all whipped their heads around at once; nothing. No giant white gloved appeared in front of them.

"We've all had enough of your games, Yoshiki," growled Fox. "Where is he?"

The youth laughed. "I just said, _Fox_: He's right in front of you…"

The fox looked around a second time. Nothing. His anger rendered him speechless.

"…Give up?" Yoshiki asked finally, folding his arms and cocking his head to one side.

"No way!" exclaimed Falco defiantly. "You have no chance against us!"

A few eyebrows were raised at this comment.

"…Is that so?" Yoshiki replied coolly.

"Yeah! We'll show you why we're called Smashers!" Metaknight announced daringly.

"Fine, fine... You've come this far, it would be a shame if it was for nothing." said Yoshiki.

Just then, there was a humming noise behind them. The automatic doors slid open and a familiar teenage girl with long pink hair burst through.

"Ah! Sorry I'm late! Did I miss anything?"

"No, Fumiko. It hasn't even begun."

Fumiko dusted herself down and quickly took on a formal stance before Yoshiki. She then realised that the Smashers were also there.

"I see you've been acquainted with my boss!" she smiled.

"So has been the case for nearly a month…" Fox sighed almost inaudibly.

"So you're the lucky ones who'll be made into better Smashers!"

"EH?! WHAT D'YA MEAN?! YOU KNEW ALL ALONG?!"

"Sheesh Falco, do you have to shout like that?!" yelled Yoshiki, mimicking Falco's outburst. "Of course _my dear Fumiko _knew about this. But _you're_ not gonna be changed by me. No way! I'll be leaving that to Master Hand."

Hearing her being spoken of in such admiration flattered Fumiko greatly and she blushed shyly at her boss. She had never doubted his enticing charm ever since she joined him. It was the same with all the other girls who worked there, except she knew he favoured her above the rest; after all, she was responsible for organising TV broadcast times and which channels would broadcast them which was a very important job.

"Right, Koji, Ai, come with me."

Yoshiki walked away from them. Fumiko pouted when she realised her name was absent in the sentence. Her boss turned round and looked back at her.

"Oh, Fumiko! How could I forget you? I think you'll have to come with me too…"

Fumiko squealed in delight and rushed over to join him. Koji and Ai watched, perplexed.

"Don't worry too much. I just want these Smashers to prove to me that they can defeat Master Hand, that's all. If that's true, they won't need any help."

"WHAT?! DEFEAT MASTER HAND?!"

Yoshiki ignored Falco's shouting and proceeded in walking away from. Koji and Ai obediently followed, keeping in mind that the last person to defy him was now dead. Yoshiki pulled a remote out of his belt and pressed a button, revealing a white door which before had been magically hidden.

"You first," said Yoshiki, nodding at Koji and Ai.

Fumiko paid no attention to her fellow workmates as they nervously entered the room. Inconsiderately, all her concentration was focused on Yoshiki's attractive face.

With that, Yoshiki waited until Fumiko had also gone through the door then followed them, sneering evilly as the door faded back into the gold background.

There was a strange stillness about the Smashers after he left. It felt too quiet. They could feel a presence of something, but it didn't feel like Master Hand. No, something bigger than Master Hand was with them.

"OK… What now?" whispered Snake.

"…We wait." said Fox, smiling sarcastically. Underneath his seemingly cool composure he was infuriated beyond imagination. They couldn't escape. They were being held hostage. Their friends were being killed one by one… and he couldn't stop it from happening. If he had only seized the opportunity to kill him when he was cornered… but even then he wouldn't be able to access every room without Yoshiki's incredible knowledge of passwords.

"Um… Fox?"

Pit flew above the Smashers and scanned the floor below. The presence of that something was growing stronger.

"I think we won't have to wait for long… Look down…"

Fox and the other Smashers looked down at the floor. It had strangely changed from gold to a grey and black colour, almost like a marble effect. Suddenly, it then started to shake violently.

"AAAH! What's going on?!" screamed Zelda, falling over.

Everyone was asking the same question. As the floor shook, they felt as though they were rising upwards very quickly.

Suddenly…

**BOOM**

The Smashers were thrown off of the floor and plummeted through the golden void it left behind.

In a frantic effort to think of a way to survive, the Smashers fearfully searched for something which could save them. At first everyone looked at Snake seeing that he was an expert in dealing with this sort of situation, but were put off by his surprised expression.

High in the air, a creature was approaching. A gargantuan grey and black mechanical monster dived through the abyss at terrifying speed, clawing at the helpless Smashers as they waited for the point at which they would slam into the ground with brutal force.

But it never came.

They were somehow suspended in an endless fall.

The creature was now closer than ever. The mechanical being was now so close that even the tiniest details could be seen, including the Japanese kanji for Inukai which were emblazoned on its side. This was the superior Master Hand.

_And so this is the final battle…_thought Fox as he stared open-mouthed at the frightening beast.

…_And they expect me to lead them… I don't know if I can…_

…_It's my fault… I'm used to predictable enemies like Andross, not some murderous freak who plans to make his own Smashers…_

…_In a few seconds, it'll all be over. We will be defeated; Koji and Ai will undoubtedly be killed for their defiance against him and the other Smashers will meet the same fate as the five who are now considered superior Smashers…_

…_I've failed them…_

…_Smash will be over before it's even begun…_

…_I'm sorry…_

…_Marth, Roy… I realised that you were gone… It's up to you two now…_

…_Only you can save us now…_

* * *

"Enjoying the fight?" 

Koji and Ai were sickened at the sight before them. A giant flat-screen TV showed the Smashers falling through the void with this terrifying beast diving towards them.

Fumiko had very little interest in what was going on as she absent-mindedly stirred her cup of tea with a spoon whilst sitting on an armchair.

Yoshiki watched with interest, a smile creeping on his face. "I'm glad you're still part of my team, Koji. Still, I can't understand why you even liked that Takeshi in the first place. Sure, he was an interesting person who I could depend on, but after a while he just got in the way of everything. He became more like a leader every day. He was a filming director, not boss of SMASH! News."

Koji glared at him. "Takeshi was my friend, Yoshiki…" he growled dangerously. "He was a great person with so much potential, a great life ahead of him and… you killed him… He would have made a better boss than you…"

"Koji, please don't…"

Ai still had a firm grip on Koji's arm. A wrong move now could result in another death, and she was still traumatised by Takeshi's.

"Just do what he says. I don't want you to die too…"

"Well isn't this romantic!" sneered Yoshiki. "Ai, you're such a quiet girl and very intelligent … I knew you would still stay with SMASH! News."

At this point, Fumiko abruptly looked up from her tea and frowned slightly. It was only when she received a sly wink from Yoshiki that she smiled sweetly and felt at ease.

Ai turned away and shook her head. Koji slowly pulled out his gun.

"I know Fox didn't want to anyone to do this yet, but now I've got you exactly where I want you." he said, leering.

"Aw… I never knew Koji had the guts to take on the boss, Yoshiki! This is gonna be fun…"

Yoshiki pulled his gun out of his belt and aimed at Koji.

"Don't do it, Koji!" Ai pleaded.

"You've picked a wise girl, Koji. Listen to her, there's still time to join me…"

"No. I know you want what's best for me, Ai, but today I'm going to do what's right."

His finger trembled on the trigger. Yoshiki stood completely calm, watching his victim-to-be shake in fear.

Summoning all the courage he could, Koji finally managed to look his foe in the eye and aim his gun at his chest.

"Heh heh… that took you a while didn't it?"

"Koji!"

Ai reached out to grab the gun but Koji pushed her away.

"…Well? Aren't you going to kill me? Or are you afraid?" Yoshiki taunted, tapping his trigger.

Koji said nothing. Why was he hesitating? Now was his chance. But he wasn't taking that chance. Something was stopping him.

"Surely you're not scared… Maybe you don't know how to use a gun? OK, first you aim, preferably at the head or chest. Aiming at the chest usually gives a longer, more painful death so I think I'll go with that one. Next, you get your finger ready on the trigger and show no mercy. Now I think you know what comes next…"

Koji's fingers stiffened. All confidence disappeared from him. Yoshiki tapped his trigger impatiently.

"…and then you fire…"

* * *

"Look, Marth! It's that way!" 

"No, I don't think so... What did that sign say again? Floor 5, door 26? I think we turn left then go straight ahead and we'll see it,"

"Er… I don't know… We should've stayed with everyone else! We'll get lost up here!"

"Hey Roy! Listen!"

"What?"

"I can hear voices…"

The two swordsmen stopped in the dark hallways and listened. There were many voices echoing around them. They all sounded very familiar.

"Isn't that… Captain Falcon's voice?" asked Roy.

"Er… Yeah! It is! I told you, Roy!" said Marth, dragging his friend in the direction which the voices came from.

"Er…Which way was it again?"

Marth stopped abruptly causing Roy to trip over his feet.

"I think it was left then straight ahead…" Roy sighed, standing up.

"Oh yeah!"

Marth and Roy ran through the corridors, taking note of the door numbers. As they turned the corner on the left, door 26 was right in front of them.

"Just as I thought!" said Marth. "But now we have another problem: We don't know the password."

"What password?"

Marth pointed to a round silver object at the side of the door.

"What could his password be?" Roy wondered aloud. "What about… power? Or fame? They're things that Yoshiki would think of all the time! Try them!"

Marth typed in 'power' first; it didn't work. The second idea also proved unsuccessful. Just then, he looked at the door and spotted something.

"A keyhole! We can use something to unlock it!"

"…A key?"

"No, Roy! Have you got a hairclip?"

"WHAT?!"

"Never mind…"

Marth and Roy stared at the keyhole in thought. Roy bit his lip and exchanged glances from the keyhole to Marth.

"Hey Marth!" he whispered.

"What?"

"Maybe if we just charge up our swords the door will break!"

A few seconds after saying that, Marth and Roy held their swords high in the air and built up their strength. In two ferocious bangs of red and blue, the door cracked and shattered into two pieces.

"Ha! Serves him right for breaking down Master Hand's door!" said Roy, rubbing his hands.

The room ahead of them was even darker than the corridors which they had been running through. There was no light at all. The walls were uneven and cold, almost as if some inexperienced builder had been hired and made a complete mess of it. Plus, it was absolutely freezing. Yoshiki had enough money to install central heating in every room and build everything to perfection, so why was this room not as magnificent as every other room they had seen?

"MARTH! ROY!"

A gigantic rose out of the darkness and charged straight towards them. Marth and Roy sidled out the way and watched as a yellow monster with a spiked green shell revealed itself in the dim light of the corridor.

"Oh, guys! I'm so glad you're here!"

"Bowser!" exclaimed the swordsmen.

After that, several more familiar shapes rose from the ground and moved into the light.

"What's going on? First we're in the Smash Mansion then were in this spaceship and THEN we're in this place!" gasped Diddy, rushing out of the cold room.

Mewtwo floated out of the room with Pikachu and Pichu. Captain Falcon began exercising in hope of getting warm again.

"Have you seen Ness?" asked Ganondorf. "He was taken away by Yoshiki and we haven't seen him since!"

"Don't worry, Ness is fine," said Marth reassuringly. "But as for some of the others, they weren't so lucky I'm afraid…"

"What happened to Peach?" demanded Mario, bursting through the group.

Roy and Marth looked at each other uneasily. That was enough to convince the plumber that his suspicions were correct.

"Don't tell me…" he breathed. Luigi put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's OK, Bro, she'll be-"

"BUT HOW CAN IT BE TRUE? Peach… I begin to wonder a few seconds before she… do you think she expected me to save her as always? Yet I… I could do nothing…"

Mario fell to the ground crying as his brother tried to comfort him.

"Mario! We might be able to save her!" said Roy.

Instantly Mario jumped to his feet and grinned.

"You really think so?" he replied excitedly.

"Roy…_What_ are you doing?" hissed Marth.

"I'm just reassuring him! If you feel strong you'll succeed!" Roy whispered back, winking.

"And I expect that the others who were taken are also dead?" Mewtwo enquired.

"Er, yes…" Marth replied sadly. "But we can still get them back! Look, Koji and Fox's team are in trouble. The film director Takeshi was killed an hour before we came and now everyone is depending on us to help them. Yoshiki also mentioned that Master Hand was also here."

"No way!" shouted Donkey Kong. "Anyway, he betrayed us!"

"Actually, he didn't," smiled Roy. "That was all Yoshiki's fault. Probably brainwashing… Anyway! We can't waste any more time! Let's go!"

Dazzled by the sudden change in light along the hallways, the Smashers followed Marth and Roy back towards an elevator which they had used a few minutes before.

As they descended back down to the first floor, they began to wonder if everyone was OK. There were so many questions that needed to be answered but there was little time to answer them…

* * *

Calling out his name brought no memory of who had worked with for so long. Master Hand, it seemed, had been totally brainwashed. 

Pit flew around the huge metal hand and tried to knock some sense into him but the hand's violent actions ceased to stop.

"It's useless!" yelled Fox. "Just attack! If we have any chance of survival we must attack!"

As the hand came closer, Fox used his Firefox move to launch himself onto the top of the hand. He took out his blaster and mercilessly fired at the exposed wiring between the fingers.

One by one the other Smashers followed their leader and soared upwards to grapple onto the hand and attack it.

Zelda and Link combined their attacks of magic and the Master sword to severely damage one of the fingers, but even then a sudden electric current shocked everyone who touching the hand.

Armed with their knowledge of electronics, Fox and Falco worked together to jam open the metal appendages to cut off the electrical supply, but nothing much was happening.

Then, unexpectedly, the hand made itself into a fist. Link lost his grip and became suspended in the air. There was little time to recover, so he pulled out his hookshot and grappled onto the wire.

It was the perfect opportunity for the hand. With one powerful strike, Master Hand crashed into Link. The force was so brutal sent the Hylian hero hurtling past the Smashers and deeper into the void.

Everyone looked down; Link had vanished.

"Come on!" yelled Fox. "We can't stop now!"

Zelda was peering over the hand, frozen. Samus helped her to her feet and pulled her away from the edge.

"This isn't working, Fox!" Falco shouted over the air rushing past them. "We need something to cut these wires and nothing, not even Link's sword was able to cut them!"

Fox didn't reply. He watched his team fighting the beast which was once their friend. He was right; nothing was working. In his anger, he shouted in frustration and recklessly fired at the exposed wires.

"Fox, you moron! That's not working!"

"I _KNOW_ THAT!" Fox replied sardonically. "It's up to Marth and Roy now! Unless we find a weakness we'll all be killed! We have to stop Yoshiki! We've lost Peach, the Ice-Climbers, Ike, Kirby and now it looks like we've lost Link… We can't give up now!"

Fox stopped firing. Samus was firing blue balls of energy at the fingers and Snake was carefully cutting certain wires inside them. Ness knew that electric against electric wouldn't work, so PK Thunder was definitely not an attack he could use. PK Flash and PK fire were also useless, so he cautiously looked around him for some clue to help his friends.

"I just hope they come soon, Falco," Fox sighed. "As for Koji and Ai… I hope they're safe, too…"

Ai screamed. Fumiko dropped her cup. Yoshiki smiled with satisfaction.

"KOJI!"

"Ai, leave him. With you're intelligence, you can help me make the superior Smashers. You'll get more pay…"

"Don't you get it?!" Ai screamed, her hands shaking. "I DON'T WANT MORE PAY!!"

She knelt beside Koji. He was critically injured with a bullet wound to his chest, barely breathing.

"Koji… Koji? D-don't move… I-It's OK…"

"Ai...Leave him…"

Ai brushed her hair out of her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

"Yoshiki… I don't want to join you! Y-you're just sickening… You're disgusting… W-why would I want more pay f-from you?"

Yoshiki watched Koji with a blank expression lay almost motionless. If there was no help in the next hour, it was certain that Koji would die. Ai looked up at the murderer.

"Y-Yoshiki, you don't have to be like this. Please… at least try and change… please save Koji…"

It was a pitiful attempt to change the man, but the only one she could think of. For a moment, consideration flashed across Yoshiki's face, but was dripping with sarcasm.

"I might be able to help…" he said.

"… It doesn't matter. I don't trust you anyway. I was hoping for just a little bit of emotion that's all." Ai responded furiously.

Yoshiki lifted his gun and pointed it at Koji once more.

"No, really! I'm surprised you chose this pathetic waste of space for a boyfriend. I could just end his suffering right now if you like."

Ai swore irately, guarding Koji in case he was being serious.

"Ai…"

Koji tried to lift his head but was too weak. Ai held him lightly. There was nothing she could do to help and she feared the worse.

"It's OK, Koji, we'll be out of here soon," she said quietly, never tearing her eyes away from Yoshiki.

"Ai, I'm sorry you got caught up in this. It's all my fault… Forgive me, I… I should never have got involved in this in the first place… Please try and escape… Don't let Yoshiki kill you too…"

"You won't die Koji!" Ai choked, more tears flowing down her cheeks. "We'll get out of here together!"

"No, Ai… Take my gun… Just shoot him now… I was stupid… For some reason I couldn't do it… Please, Ai…"

Lifting his head a little higher, he gazed into her eyes.

"I can't, Koji… I can't do this without you…" Ai cried.

Koji reached out and held her hand.

"Ai… I love you… Never doubt that…I know you can do it… You're stronger than me… You need to warn the others… I… I missed my chance to end this ordeal… Please, Ai…"

Ai felt his hand loosen. She didn't want to leave him but he had told her to go. All throughout the journey they had always been linking arms, always by each others side. She just couldn't leave.

"Koji?"

She leaned closer to see Koji's face. His eyes were closed. She frantically searched for a pulse… it was faint… there was hardly one at all.

"There isn't long for him to live now," said Yoshiki. "Well then, aren't you going to do as he says?"

Ai stared at the gun in Koji's other hand. She had never used a gun in her entire life, yet she grabbed it and got to her feet.

"Yes…" she said finally, wiping her eyes. "I know I can't save Koji and nothing can save you from those twisted thoughts in your head, but I can save the future of the Smashers. It ends now, Yoshiki. I can't let you cause any more pain…"

Her hands trembled as she held the gun.

"Well, Inukai-san, it was _such_ a pleasure meeting you…"

* * *

**Wasn't that sweet? Then again it was so sad... Poor Koji. He's almost dead and it seems like nothing can save him... It's its up to Ai to warn the Smashers and get out of Revolution Smash! And what's gonna happen to Marth and Roy's team? Gosh, everyone's swapping teams and I can't keep up with them!**

**Will Ai have enough courage to kill Yoshiki? The story is almost at an end, but the next chapter isn't the last! Master Hand has turned evil and nothing seems to be able to stop him... Will the Smashers defeat him? All will be reveald in the next chapter!**

**Please review!**


	14. The Puppeteer's Final Smash

**Kyoko: Finally! It's been over a week but now here's Chapter 14!**

**Bowser: Woooo!**

**Link: Who dies?! Who dies?!**

**Kyoko: Why don't you read it?**

**Link: OK! (starts reading)**

**Falco: If I find out that you've killed me...**

**Kyoko: Well, why don't you start reading?**

**Falco: I came to do the disclaimer!**

**Kyoko: Oh, OK then!**

**Falco: JapanFan Kyoko does not own the SSB characters but she does own Yoshiki Inukai (I HATE that guy...), Takeshi Deguchi (who is he again?), Koji Konda (is he dead yet?!), Ai Hoshino (she's cute... what?!) and Fumiko Kawai (that wierd person...).**

**

* * *

**

Without hesitating any longer, a bullet was fired. Ai waited for a chilling scream, a shout which would mark the end of her nightmare... but it never came. Perhaps he was unwilling to show his pain?

Ai furiously shot Yoshiki in the chest again, but saw the same reaction.

"Why…? You… why aren't you dieing! W-what's wrong with you?!"

Another five bullets pierced the air in her anger and watched Yoshiki's reaction with rage burning through every inch of her body. Nothing, not even a trace of blood was apparent on Yoshiki's clothes.

"Maybe that's because I'm not what you think I am," said Yoshiki, maintaining his disturbing look of tranquillity.

Ai lowered her gun and stared at him. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"A simple weapon like that isn't going to kill me," Yoshiki replied. "Especially since I've used my own computer data to make myself stronger than the average human…"

In the background, a certain girl with long pink hair gasped at this new piece of juicy info provided by her boyfriend-to-be. In contrast, Ai was horror-struck.

Keeping a firm grip on the gun, Ai searched for a way out. There was a door just a few metres away, but getting to it without being seen or stopped was impossible. Yoshiki watched her with his infamous murderous grin as always; a sign that his next killing was due. Ai could sense this.

"Apart from Fumiko, you are the only member of my team who knows of my plans. I can't let anyone else know of this now, can I?"

Fumiko nodded her head in agreement and loyalty then looked at Ai with disgust.

"And what are you gonna do about it? You can't stop me from telling anyone. Anyway, if it's true that you like me working for you, you won't kill me either." retorted Ai, slowly edging towards the door.

"That's true," said Yoshiki. "I'm not going to kill you. You will join me in becoming a superior Smasher. To make superior Smashers, I found that becoming superior yourself makes the process much easier."

"What?! NO! You're mad! I don't want to be a superior Smasher! I'm going, OK?! I won't be carrying on my duty as film coordinator either!"

Ai seized her chance to escape and burst through the automatic doors before anyone could say or do anything to stop her though he hated the fact that she was leaving Koji dieing with a murderer…

Unless Yoshiki and Fumiko followed her she feared that his time to live would be shortened….

"Are you sure this is the right way, Marth?"

"I'm sure. I remember this conservatory very well…"

Marth and Roy had reached the conservatory after about half an hour of finding their way through the maze of confusing corridors. Keeping a low profile was proving difficult for the leading swordsmen, especially since the characters ranged from nimble creatures such as Pichu to heavy ones such as Bowser who shook the ground every time he moved forward. Plus, Mr Game and Watch's 'ping' sound was far from reassuring.

"Which way now?" asked Roy. "It wasn't any of these five doors although one of them leads to that room where Smashers become superior…"

"What?!" exclaimed Luigi. "Superior Smashers?"

"We'll tell you later," said Marth hurriedly. "Come on, they went this way."

Without further ado, Marth ran ahead, Roy and the other Smashers hurrying to keep up with him. What they couldn't hear at that time were the quick footsteps getting louder behind them which belonged to the young girl whose role was proving to be more important than she initially thought.

A powerful blast of blue energy enveloped the mechanical hand as it unfurled its fingers. The attack belonged to Samus, yet even after charging her most powerful attack as much as she could, the tough exterior of the beast failed to break.

They had been falling for what felt like hours… No attack was working, just like Yoshiki had intended. Nothing, not even all the Smash attacks combined could cause the superior Master Hand to flinch.

Most of the Smashers had now surrendered and clung to the hand in hope of something coming along and saving them. The only ones with any true resentment for their former boss were Fox, Falco, Snake and Samus. Fox, however, proved to be the most determined to end the fight a winner.

"Come on! Get up!" he yelled, frustrated. A few blank faces were exchanged. "We can't give up! What's wrong with you?! Don't you want to win?!"

Slightly discouraged, Fox angrily fired a barrage of blaster shots at the exposed wiring on the hand even though he knew it would result in nothing.

"Well, if Marth and Roy don't come along soon, we'll have to call it a day…" Snake sighed, rummaging through his assortment of weapons.

"Ha! Just you wait! They'll come… I'm sure of it… Meh... What am I thinking? We can't wait for them! We need them now, dammit!"

"Falco, shut up." said Fox firmly.

Falco immediately fell silent. No one said anything for a few minutes.

Samus shot a few more half-hearted explosions into the fingers before sinking to the ground next to Ness. Snake eventually did the same but continued to rifle through his bags of weaponry.

"They'll come!" said Ness happily. "Marth and Roy won't let us down!"

"Hey, you two," Zelda said to Fox and Falco. "Aren't you going to sit down and wait? It's already proved pointless trying to fight him…"

"There's no harm in trying!" retorted Falco, examining some coloured wires. Fox quickly took one of Snake's knifes and cut away at the cabling; a sudden mild electric shock making everyone jump.

"OK, _now_ you can stop!" Zelda shouted. "It's ridiculous!"

"No! Look, who's the leader here? Me! So ha!"

"GUYS!"

Ness jumped to his feet. "I can sense that Marth and Roy are nearby… No, wait… I can sense more than just Marth and Roy…"

Suddenly, the hand violently lurched to the side. Samus, Zelda and Ness were thrown into the air and suspended in a terrifying fall. They were still falling at the same speed as the hand but were now more vulnerable to attack.

"Come on! Get back here!" shouted Fox, reaching out both hands.

However, the hand once more turned into a fist. It began to slow down, causing the three falling Smashers to fall underneath it; a dark shadow forming above them. Ness summoned a PK Thunder on himself to get back on top, even though the attempt was pointless and crashed headfirst into the hard metal body.

The hand rapidly ascended, watching its victims fall. Fox, Falco, Snake, Pit and Metaknight looked down over the edge of the hand. Again, there was nothing they could do to help them and watched them with sad expressions as they waited for the hand to crash into the three Smashers.

"Don't worry! Marth and Roy are coming!" said Ness, waving his arms frantically. "As soon as you get out of here, find Ai and Koji! They're in grave danger!"

"Ai and Koji?" repeated Falco. "I'm surprised that neither of them are dead yet…"

Suddenly, the hand threw itself forward into the helpless Smashers with vicious force. Ness, Samus and Zelda were instantly KO'd with little effort and plunged into the abyss below, the last of Zelda's screams disappearing with them.

The five remaining Smashers sat back on the hand, looking at each other with vacant faces as if they were expecting that to happen all along. The last of Falco's hope had faded along with the lost Smashers and so, sighing deeply, he propped his head on his knees and stared ahead. Snake was close to losing hope, yet he reminded himself that he was not the sort of person to give up easily and clung to the last of which still remained. Pit and Metaknight were unsure of what to think.

Fox was far from losing hope, but felt he was close to losing his mind. He had lost nearly all of the Smashers in his legion and the fate of the remaining four depended entirely on his next actions.

"Well…" he said quietly. "What now, eh? Any ideas?"

He spoke with a desperate tone that implied his deep anxiety. Falco was first to pick up on this.

"Forget it," he replied. "Just wait for something to happen. That's what Snake, Pit, Metaknight and I are doing now,"

Snake rolled his eyes at the bird.

"But… Yoshiki said that only superior Smashers could defeat the superior Master Hand. That means he _can_ be defeated!" said Fox.

"But we're not superior," argued Falco. "We're just Smashers! Sure, if we were like Yoshiki's weird creations then we could have defeated it by now, but no. Nice try, Fox, I know you wanted to prove him wrong but he just can't be beaten."

"…That's what _you_ think," Fox countered although less enthusiastic on his opinion. "How many times have we won against Andross, hey? That Yoshiki is just like a little… a little Andross. Think of him as that. Are you even listening to me? Hey! I'm the commander, here! Falco!"

Her legs were aching… How much further would it be until she found them? The hallways always led to a dead end… Ai had never been to Revolution Smash before and frankly, she wished she had never set foot there at all.

She had heard rumours from people who worked in Inukai Mansion that there was a beautiful conservatory-like area of the building in which the starlight outside would pass through cut glass that cast wonderful patterns. That room which she had passed moments before caused her to stop and stare before realising that she had a job to do.

"I think this is it…" she thought aloud, running as fast as she could despite the unbearable pain her legs.

Just a few metres ahead she caught a glimpse of someone running around the corner.

She mustered up enough energy to shout "HEY!", but no one heard her. Ai turned a corner and followed what appeared to be the dark shape of Mario in the distance.

"HEY! WAIT!"

This time she was successful. The figure turned round and stumbled back a bit.

"Who're you? Stay back! You're not taking the rest of us!"

"No, no! I'm Ai! I used to work for Yoshiki but now that I know what he's doing… Look, if you don't believe me, ask Marth and Roy!"

The plumber immediately sprinted away and vanished into the darkness.

Ai followed him. She could hear many familiar voices even though they belonged to people she hadn't talked to in person.

"…Is that so? Bring her over here then,"

The reassuring voice of Marth rang through the crowded corridor and she rushed over to meet him.

His face was obscured by darkness, but Ai could sense his relief to see her.

"Ai! Where's Koji?" he asked, Roy joining him.

"Um… I… Well, Koji was…"

Unable to contain her grief any longer, she burst in tears. Roy widened his eyes in shock.

"You don't mean he's…"

"Oh, no…. He was shot by Yoshiki but he's still alive. Well, barely alive. He told me to find you just before he became unconscious."

The rescued Smashers looked at each other uneasily.

"We need to go. Fox and the other Smashers are fighting Master Hand. I don't think they can defeat him…"

"They're fighting Master Hand?!" exclaimed Mario. "How much have we missed out on here?"

"A lot, I'm afraid," sighed Roy. "Come on, we'd better get going,"

Obediently, the Smashers and Ai followed the swordsmen through the corridors, even though they had said they were unsure of where they were going.

"Er…Ai? Do you know where to go?" asked Marth, walking a little more slowly.

"I think so," Ai replied. "I think it's that door over there,"

She grabbed both swordsmen and dragged them towards the door she was talking about.

"I'm sure this is the one," she said nervously.

"OK, well… will you be staying with us?" asked Roy.

"No, I can't. I can't leave Koji on his own and I think there's something in that room I was in that controls that other room…."

"…What?"

"Look, I'll tell you later, OK? You can't go in there while there's this strange void in there…"

Without further explanation Ai ran off and left the Smashers by the door. Baffled by the weird conversation, Marth and Roy waited with their team, not sure of what to do next.

On the other hand, Ai knew exactly what she was doing. Yoshiki and Fumiko could be anywhere by now, maybe even close by. She slowed down, her eyes darting left and right, listening to her own footsteps and the sound of someone else's.

Luckily, she managed to sidle unnoticed along the walls back to the room she had come from, though she had no idea how she remembered that it was that one. A soft light danced on the wall, lighting the ground at her feet. For a moment she mistook it for torchlight and gasped before calming herself and quietly opening the door.

Silence. No gunshot, no Fumiko and no Yoshiki. But there was still the body of Koji lying several metres away. She had to turn away… the scene only provoked more tears to fall. Ai couldn't tell whether he was alive or dead, and it pained her in knowing that she couldn't help him.

At the far end of the room were an assortment of levers and buttons which she observed with interest. As she moved towards them, the body of Koji stirred; only slightly, nevertheless a sign that he was still alive.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ai brushed her hand over the top of the control panel. One of them was a switch for the flat screen TV next to her which was now switched off. Taking one last look around her in case anyone was watching, she pressed the button and the TV flickered into life.

As predicted, the screen showed Fox, Falco, Snake, Pit and Metaknight struggle against the formidable Master Hand's onslaught of attacks… Wait. There was only five?

_I can't believe it… They can't be losing… They can't be… Where's that switch? What did Yoshiki press to cause them to fall through that void? Where…?_

Her hands trembled as she felt the immense pressure of time crush her shoulders. Yoshiki had used a switch to cause them to fall through the floor and into a golden void. It was typical of Yoshiki to make his contraptions as complex as possible. There were no labels or diagrams to explain anything.

_Unless…_

It was a huge risk. She could set off an alarm, get found out and cause more trouble than she intended. Ai was certain that Yoshiki had pressed the large red button in front of her.

"No, I'm sure of it!" she told herself confidently. "Sheesh, it's such a cliché! All red buttons in movies make something brilliant happen… right?"

Thrusting a fist into the button, there was no time for second thoughts. Ai clenched her teeth as she watched the tiny figures on the screen rise higher and higher into the air, slower and slower…

"Yes!" she cheered. "I knew it! We're… We're getting outta here… Koji! We're getting out of here!"

The teen skipped happily over to her boyfriend and crouched down next to him. Her cheerful expression, however, was suddenly extinguished by the state of Koji's deterioration.

As Ai sat close to him, she gasped in horror as felt blood on her hands. Koji was hardly breathing at all; he was in an even worse condition than when she left him.

"…Koji… Can you hear me? I'm here now…"

Her soft words echoed through the room and brought to response to her question. For so long she had forced back her sorrow, and now she couldn't contain it any longer and collapsed next to Koji and wept over his bloodstained body.

_I'm sorry… I shouldn't have left you…_

"You still can't let him go, can you?"

A chilling voice broke the tender goodbye like a knife to her heart. Once more, the voice of Yoshiki destroyed her hope of saving him.

"I hate to break this up but apparently someone's been tampering with my stuff so I came here to check it out. Well, I'm not surprised to find you here. I knew you'd have to come back snivelling to your dear Koji sooner or later…"

Ai said nothing. Yoshiki took a few steps towards her.

"It was a good idea to release the Smashers although I would've liked to see them suffer for a little longer. Anyway, another brawl is due. If they can't beat Master Hand, then they'll just have to make do with fighting me. They'll have to be quick though…"

Ai stood still and wiped her eyes with her jacket sleeve.

"Yoshiki… I'm not even going to argue now. I've… I think I've lost Koji, but… I know that there's still hope for the rest of the Smashers…"

"Now isn't that sad," said Yoshiki sarcastically. "There is no hope for the others. I've made sure of that. And here I am thinking you would be a good girl and stay loyal to your boss…"

"Well you thought wrong…" Ai spat, hanging her head. She heard the sound of a gun click, but didn't flinch. "Look, I know you can't help yourself, so just… shoot, OK? I can't help Koji and I can't help the Smashers, so just go ahead and shoot me…"

Ai looked up with tearful eyes. Yoshiki's gun was lowered to her level.

"That… would have been a good idea, but… I would like to postpone your death a little longer if that's OK with you…"

"What?" said Ai.

"You heard me," replied Yoshiki, his voice strangely a lot calmer. "Get up."

Ai rose without protest.

"Come with me. I have a surprise for the Smashers…"

"Hey, do you think it's safe to go in? Ai's been gone a long time don't you think?"

Roy impatiently tapped his foot. "Well, I'm going in so-"

BANG

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"

"WHAAA?"

In a sudden blast of light, five figures burst out of the room and collapsed on one another. Pit and Metaknight crashed into the wall and onto the pile of Smashers underneath them; Fox being squashed at the bottom.

"OK, guys… I think we're safe now…"

"Oh, Fox! You're alive!" exclaimed Marth.

"Er, hello? There are other Smashers here too!" said Snake.

The Smashers jumped to their feet, dazed.

"I can't take much more of this, ya know," sighed Fox, breathing deeply and turning to the other Smashers. "Have you seen Ai and Koji?"

"Yeah! We saw her a few minutes ago but then she ran off again!" said Luigi.

"Can someone explain what's going on? I'm lost… again!" shouted Bowser, sparks flying from his nostrils.

"Calm down, Bowser, we're just as confused as you are!" said Young Link agitatedly. "Oh yeah, and about this guy called Koji: apparently he had been shot or something."

Fox gaped at the boy. "No way…"

Young Link nodded his head. "Ai seemed very upset. I think he was her boyfriend…"

Snake impatiently began pacing across the width of the hallway, catching the attention of Falco.

"We should get going," he sighed wearily.

"Whoah! Hold on a minute! Aren't we missing some Smashers?"

Young Link worriedly whipped his head round in all directions. Fox bit his lip.

"Er… I'm afraid that I lost Link, Zelda, Samus and Ness in the battle against Master Hand," he confessed bluntly.

The vulpine waited for someone in the group to rant about his failure as a leader, but no such comments were made to his relief. Without meeting anyone's eye, he strode in front of everyone and mustered up as much of his captain-like formality he had left.

"Right! Come on! Let's get going!"

The rest of the Smashers followed the fox back through the conservatory and around the maze of winding corridors. Fox didn't know whether to stay and fight Yoshiki or get out, and then there were the unlucky Smashers who were made superior and those who had fallen through the void. Were they lost forever or could they actually be saved?

Those questions tortured his mind all the way back to the entrance hall. His ship was just outside; they could all just leave right now…

_No… I can't let them down again… _Fox told himself firmly.

"What now?" asked Metaknight.

"I…don't know…" Fox replied, staring out into space.

"…Moron…"

"FALCO!"

"What! That wasn't me!"

"Well, if it's not you…"

"…Then it's me."

All heads whipped round in the direction of the voice which was indeed unlike Falco's. Right on cue once again, Yoshiki made his appearance in his notorious fighting stance and equipped with a gun. This time, however, he wasn't alone.

"Ai!" exclaimed Fox. "What happened?! Where's Koji?!"

Ai seemed glued to Yoshiki's side and hesitating her reply.

"Fox, he's… I think he's dead…"

_Another one down… I should have known… Poor Ai…_

"That's right," Yoshiki added proudly. "And since I saw you struggle pathetically against Master Hand, I figured that maybe you could fight the other Smashers and I… If you like…"

"I'm not interested in fighting you any more!" yelled Fox. "I just-"

"Before you give me your final answer," Yoshiki interrupted, smiling. "Consider the fact that you're risking another death, in this case Ai's,"

Ai closed her eyes as Yoshiki pressed the gun against her head.

_Manipulating once again…_

"Well, it was surprising to hear from this girl that she wouldn't mind dieing since her pathetic little Koji died, isn't that right, Ai?"

Ai turned her head away from him in disgust.

"Anyway, consider this next fact, Smashers…"

Suddenly, the ground shook violently outside the entrance hall, rattling the lights. The ground about fifty metres away from the Great Fox opened up, creating a giant fissure from which a black, solid object a big as the ship emerged and rocked on the uneven ground.

A bomb.

The Smashers stood back and gaped back at their reflections on the smooth exterior of the sinister weapon. Again, the young, reckless entrepreneur controlled his puppets and pulled off another astounding performance.

"And so…" the puppeteer continued, grasping Ai's hand. "If you defeat me and my superior Smashers, the bomb will not explode. If you don't, you die. It's simple. And, no, it's not stupid at all. I won't die in the blast and neither will my Smashers. I'm superior just like them, you see."

Each Smasher turned to their leaders. Marth and Roy guiltily looked at Fox for support.

"You want _me_ to decide our next actions?" Fox said slowly.

"Well, I've gotta admit, you've become more of a leader over the past few days. I'm not surprised that everyone's turned to you." said Falco, smiling weakly.

"…Fine. I accept the challenge." said Fox confidently.

"But Fox, you can't defeat-"

"Shut up, Ai," interrupted Yoshiki. "If they want to challenge me then that's fine by me."

"You just had to play so many games with us before this battle, huh?" said Fox challengingly, taking out his blaster. "May the best Smashers win…"

* * *

**Woooo! Another fight scene's coming up! I hope its OK, I thought it looked a little rushed... Anyway, chapter 15 won't take long (I hope). I've gotta go now! My mum's nagging me to go to sleep now!!**

**Please review!**


	15. Brawl Ablaze

**Kyoko: I'm back! It took me ages to write this but now chapter 15 is finally here! Wooooooo!**

**Link: Is this the final chapter? Will it be a happy ending?**

**Kyoko: No, it's not the end. And the way things are going, it won't be happy either.**

**Zelda: NOOOO!**

**Kyoko: OK... Disclaimer?**

**Luigi: Me me me! JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she _does_ own Yoshiki Inukai, Takeshi Deguchi, Koji Konda, Ai Hoshino and Fumiko Kawai.**

* * *

"…Ai?" _Where is she? Where's Yoshiki? Where _is_ everyone?_

The ground beneath him rumbled ominously. He lay in silence, listening for a reply… but no one could hear him. Koji Konda was dazed, confused and, for the first time since waking up, he felt an agonizing pain in his chest.

Forcing himself onto his knees, the pain grew stronger yet he ignored it as he tightly closed his eyes and took deep shuddering breaths. As he put a hand to his chest, he winced as he touched his wound, his hand covered with blood.

_No, I promised her… I promised her that I would be there to protect her, and now she's gone… She could be hurt…or worse…_

Koji slowly opened his eyes. The lights were almost blinding. He let himself fall back to the floor, unable to support himself.

Everyone thought he was dead. No one knew where he was except Ai and no one could feel his pain. Even now, he felt his strength deteriorate even more; unconsciousness was creeping closer once more.

_I'm sorry, Ai…_

Koji fought for breath as he felt his body sink to the bloodstained floor.

_I won't be around for much longer, but until that time… I'll always be thinking of you…_

* * *

After being beckoned forward by his opponent, Roy approached Yoshiki with his sword drawn. It felt as though fate had brought the two together for the final fight. And this time, one of them had to fall. Fox positioned himself in front of his troops while Marth observed his friend force himself into a respectful bow and saw Yoshiki do the same.

"…Ready?" asked Fox, his hands shaking and his teeth bared.

"Ready when you are…" said Yoshiki, snapping his fingers.

As the sound resonated through the foyer, something rumbled ominously from deep within the mansion and violently shook the ground. The leaders stood their ground with their faces frozen in an irate expression. Their true feelings remained hidden deep inside; obscured by pure hatred for the man standing before them.

All of a sudden, ten metallic objects… figures, rose from the shadows. They had no definable features; however, they did take the form of humans. Encased in burnished metal suits, the nine beings stepped forward and lined up next to Yoshiki.

"These are my superior Smashers," he announced proudly. "You may have fought them before back at your own mansion but now they're different. They're stronger, faster and have no idea who you are. What they _do_ know is that all inferior Smashers must die."

The Smashers gaped at the nine figures of their former friends. They could all be recognised as Peach, the Ice-Climbers, Ike, Kirby, Link, Zelda, Samus and Ness but lacked their distinctive personalities; all that was left were cold, empty shells, much like those of a Garo Robe.

Roy waited impatiently for the fight to begin. For a second, a look of extreme murderous satisfaction crossed his rival's face. This, however, failed to startle the young swordsman as he prepared himself for battle.

"Well, I don't have a speech or anything prepared so…"

The entrepreneur smiled, tapping his feet and smartening his tie. "For the final time… Let's fight…"

* * *

There was a tentative knock at the door.

"Yoshiki? Are you there?" someone whispered. There was no answer. The girl sighed despairingly then proceeded in opening the door. She wearily shuffled to the opposite end of the room and fell onto her favourite armchair, completely oblivious to everything going on around her; especially the fact that there was a bomb outside. Her cup was exactly where she left it, still slightly warm but with an absence of coffee.

"Hmm… Time for a coffee break, I think," she smiled to herself, picking up the cup and taking it over to the kettle behind her. It was a nice change to not have duties thrown at her, though it did seem a little boring, especially since Yoshiki wasn't around to keep her company.

After the kettle had boiled, the teen made her coffee and slumped back down in her armchair, relaxed. Fumiko thought she was all alone in the room. After a few minutes, she decided to find the TV remote to turn on the TV, but found she had misplaced it as usual.

"Great," she murmured, standing up. "I was sure it was- YAAH!"

Spilling most of her coffee for a second time, Fumiko screamed as she looked down. Koji lay near the doorway, unconscious. For a moment Fumiko shook her head, believing it was just her imagination… but it wasn't.

"OH! OH NO! I-I… OH DEAR! K-KOJI?!"

Despite not liking the supposedly charismatic teen, Fumiko ran to his side to check his condition. There was no pulse.

"Oh no…" she breathed. "Oh no… Oh, Koji!"

She checked the pulse on his wrist again. Nothing. Panicking, she tried to resuscitate him. After performing this, she nervously looked at his face, knowing she would need to use the mouth-to-mouth method if she was to see any improvement in his condition.

_Don't panic, Fumiko. Don't panic, just do it. You are not kissing him, you're saving his life._

Biting her lip, she hastily tried to think of what she could do. Yes? No? Save his life? Don't save his life? For most girls in her situation, the opportunity to save a handsome boy's life this way would be a dream come true, but of course Fumiko just had to be fussy.

Fumiko was talking to herself now.

"Oh! What should I do? I would be a lot quieter without him, that's for sure. And that's a _good_ thing, I mean, he's always talking and laughing and… stuff…"

She quickly looked from side to side as she thought, and then looked at Koji again. "Oh come on, Fumiko, I guess he is quite cute. You can save him." Fumiko reassured herself. "Fine! Fine! I'll do it!"

Finally, after several minutes pondering Koji's fate, Fumiko kissed… I mean used the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and pressed down on his chest again.

_Come on, wake up…_

Nothing happened. Koji lay still; no trace of life.

"Oh for goodness sake, get outta the way!"

"YAAH!"

Fumiko was sent flying backwards as a small figure in a white jacket rushed out of nowhere and pushed her. Shocked, she gaped at the person crouching over the body.

"W-who are you?!" she stammered, standing up.

"There's no time to explain!" shouted the man, his eyes full of concern. "Do you have a hospital in this place?"

Fumiko shook her head guiltily. The man growled, staring back down at the body.

"W-what are you doing?"

"It's a surprise to see you still alive, Fumiko. Look at yourself; you're a wimp! This man's dieing and all you think about is yourself!"

The harsh yet truthful words tore through the delicate Fumiko, forcing her to her knees in a fit of sobs.

"Alright! I know, I know… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry… Wait! How did you know that I'm like that?"

The man frowned at her.

"You mean… You don't recognise me?"

"…No."

"… Why am I even saying all of this?! Come on! We have to get this guy to a hospital! NOW!"

Carefully lifting up the limp body, the man cast a furious look towards Fumiko, his mind racing. Koji did not have long to live.

"Hey, Fumiko, give me a hand will ya?"

The man struggled under the weight of Koji since he was a lot taller and heavier. The teen timidly walked forward, her mind snapping back into 'but-what-if-he-dies' mode and panicked.

Suddenly pulling out his arm from underneath the body, the man slapped her hard across the face, causing Fumiko to step back in melodramatic horror.

"There! That should knock some sense into you!" the man laughed, some of his anger fading away. "Now come on! Take me to your vehicle and get us back to the Smash Mansion!"

* * *

Resounding over and over, ringing in their ears like the deep, booming tolls of bells… It was war. With every bullet fired and every clash of sword against sword, hatred blazed uncontrollably from within the Smashers in explosions of attack. They couldn't fail. No, this was their last chance to regain their real significance as Smashers chosen by Master Hand to fight in the greatest of battles at the Smash Mansion.

The battlefield shook beneath them as they fought. There was little time to defeat the monster that was Yoshiki. Roy struggled to defend himself against the onslaught of attack from his opponent, but insisted to his friend Marth that he should let him fight alone, especially since he was one of the leaders commanding the troops.

Marth, his sword unsheathed, moved swiftly between the enemies who were once his friends, mercilessly slashing at the metal beings. Mario and Luigi kept their distance away from Peach as it pained them to hurt someone they loved, even if she was now evil. Bowser, however, was fully immersed in the fight; but he was more intrigued than angered at Ike's metal exterior. Picking him up in one claw, he bit and scraped away at the panels, hoping to uncover the real Ike inside.

On the other side of the hall, Fox's small team battled against Link, Zelda, Ness and Kirby. And the fights were far from painless.

Regarding the fact that guns don't harm superior Smashers, the only useful tactic Fox and Falco had were their reflectors which stunned them, giving their troops time to add a few more attacks.

Pit was nowhere to be seen.

"Fox! Hey, Fox! Where's Pit?" yelled Metaknight.

Fox was in the middle of brawl between Link, almost losing an arm due to Metaknight's sudden careless shout. All he could do was briskly shrug before rushing forward and paralysing his foe.

Roy could see nothing but his rival. Blocking all distractions, he focused on the quick movements of Yoshiki's katana.

"It's difficult, isn't it?" Yoshiki taunted, thrusting it forward, missing Roy merely by inches. "Time's running out, Roy. What'll it be, eh? Die from a fatal explosion or survive as a superior swordsman? It's not too difficult to decide…"

In terrifying suspense, the swords locked together.

"You're right," Roy smiled, pushing against the katana. "It isn't too difficult. I'm a true Smasher. I don't need to be modified to suit your sickening tastes…"

"Is that so?"

With extreme precision, the entrepreneur pulled his sword free and sliced at Roy's arm. As Roy withdrew in pain, a deep gash formed, almost dropping the Sword of Seals.

The only person not fighting was Ai, caught in the crossfire with no where to run or hide. The worst thing of all was that she was not armed, and even if she was, she would still have no idea how to use a weapon correctly. At one point, she was saved from the Ice-Climber's fatal blow of their hammers by Ganondorf who punched them from behind. She didn't want to see the fight. Koji was all that mattered and she couldn't even leave the room; the doors were locked.

"Ai! Get out the way!"

Ai screamed as a ball of red light shot towards her. She felt herself crash hard onto the floor as someone pushed her out of the way and placed themselves where she previously stood. Ai tightly closed her eyes, a bright blue flash flickering outside her eyelids.

"Quick! Get up!"

A reassuring voice spoke out amid the enraged cries echoing around her. To her amazement, as she opened her eyes, Falco towered over her, his hand outstretched.

"That was close. Ai, you've gotta be careful! You can't stay here if you haven't got a weapon to protect yourself!" he warned.

"But I haven't got one! Yoshiki took my other one!" Ai exclaimed, taking his hand and standing up.

Sighing, the bird reached into his pockets and pulled out another blaster exactly like his own.

"Here, take this one," said Falco, handing it over. "But whatever you do, don't lose it, OK?"

Ai nodded. "Thank you, but… I don't know how to-"

"There's no time to learn how to use one. It's simple enough. Now go!"

Before Ai could reply, Falco was gone, lost in the fray. She stared at the blaster, biting her lip. Suddenly, she instinctively found herself firmly holding her finger on the trigger as she heard something behind her.

Spinning round, she fired over and over again at the metal figure of Zelda. Although it didn't do any damage, it caused Zelda to flinch. She watched her movements. There was something strange about them. If she shot the legs, she wouldn't flinch too much, but if she shot near the shoulders…

"That's it!" she said excitedly. "That's it! Falco! I know what we need to do!"

"Give up?"

Yoshiki considered himself victorious as his latest blow reduced Roy to his knees. Pain exploded through both of his arms, tearing his gaze away from the murderer; why was he losing? The final battles of previous adventures had never been so…demanding on his skill and endurance. Every time his sword collided with his rival's body, nothing… nothing would happen. He looked out of the corner of his eye; Marth had stopped fighting. A petrifying feeling of dread froze his entire body. Roy was in position for the final blow.

"Perhaps I didn't stress the consequences enough, Roy…" said Yoshiki, his katana poised above his head.

"No, you made it very clear," Roy breathed. "And I still stand by my decision. I am a true Smasher. You are _fake_. You and your superior Smashers are _fake_."

"Marth! Stop standing around!"

The strict voice of Fox boomed through the hall, shattering Marth's shock and dragging him back to reality. "Roy knows what he's doing! Stop standing around!"

Narrowly missing an enhanced PK Flash from Ness, Fox dived in between Link and Kirby and paralysed them both with his reflector, leaving time for the blue-haired swordsman to attack them with his Falchion.

Ai almost tripped over her feet as she searched the huge hall for Falco. She knew what she needed to do; she knew how to destroy Yoshiki. Just then, Metaknight swerved erratically over her head, making her temporarily forget the reason for her excitement. She played a far more important role than ever before; it would abolish the plans of the manipulating Yoshiki and his victims for sure.

Falco, however, was nowhere in sight. No one was still long enough for her to register who she was looking at, except for one…

Undeniably, someone was very still among the fighters around her… Pit. Abandoning her plan, Ai rushed over to Pit, his wings tainted red as he lay motionless on the marble floor.

"Pit! Pit… Can you hear me?" said Ai, touching his hand. The angel responded immediately.

"Don't kill me!" he yelled, hugging his knees.

"Wha-? No! It's me, Ai! What happened to you?"

Ai proceeded in turning him over and into a sitting position, ignoring the shouts of severe pain of the Smashers behind her. On the other hand, what she could not ignore was the gruesome burn on Pit's stomach.

"H-how… how did you…"

"…Samus…" replied the angel weakly.

Ai shook her head in despair. Once you're hit, the wound lasts until the war ends; it's as simple as that. It was a fact that was impossible for the girl to accept. She had given up on Koji, but she couldn't abandon anyone else. Not now.

"Don't worry," she reassured him, smiling softly. "I'll stay with you, even though I really need to tell Falco some important news…"

Pit's eyes brightened. "News? What's happened?"

"…I know how to defeat him, Pit. I know how to defeat Yoshiki."

Pit almost collapsed on the floor, causing him more pain then gaped at her in amazement. "Well…d-don't stay here! Go and find him!"

"But what if someone finds you and…"

"Ai, just go. It's what Koji would have wanted you to do…"

Koji. The name beckoned the last of her hope within her. He truly believed that she could save the Smashers.

_I love you… Never doubt that…I know you can do it… You're stronger than me… You need to warn the others…_ _Please, Ai…_

"…OK," she said quietly. "Please be safe, Pit,"

Pit nodded impatiently and pointed towards Falco who was battling Link.

"Finally!" she exclaimed, running towards the bird. "Falco! I know how to defeat Yoshiki!"

The announcement was loud. Too loud. Roy had been forced into another perfect opportunity to be killed, but the death was postponed by his rival as his eyes lit up at the statement.

The hall was silent, the last shouts fading into the eerie stillness. Everyone stared at Ai.

"So…"

Roy breathed a sigh of relief as Yoshiki slowly lowered his katana. Curiosity shone in his eyes; amazingly it was a look far from concern.

"…You think you know how to defeat a superior Smasher?" he inquired, his eyes locked onto Ai's.

Ai was unafraid of his stare and katana. With every death, her confidence grew, so much now that she now approached him without fear. Without tearing her gaze away from him, she slowly moved towards him, her footsteps penetrating the suspenseful silence.

"…I doubt that you do…" Yoshiki said slyly, brushing back his hair. "And even if you knew, you wouldn't kill me…"

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong…" Ai replied in the same sly tone.

She stopped only inches away from where Yoshiki stood. For a few seconds, they stared into each others eyes, arousing the curiosity of the Smashers around them including the seemingly heartless superior Smashers. Mario bravely broke the silence,

"Er… is there something wrong?" he piped up nervously.

"Your weakness… it's the initials, isn't it?" Ai smiled sweetly.

Yoshiki frowned. "…Initials?"

"Yes, initials," Ai intoned. "Your initials are your weakness, aren't they?"

"Ai, what are you on about?" exclaimed Fox. "Remember there's a bomb outside! Get to the point!"

"There's only five minutes left…" said Snake, glancing back at the timer on the bomb behind them.

"Fine," said Ai. "You seemed a little tense then, Yoshiki. Not scared, are you?"

"Ai! Get on with it!" yelled Falco.

"Alright, alright!" Ai retorted. "Yoshiki, you know exactly what I mean…"

The Smashers waited. Ai drew her gun, and with her other hand, softly placed her hand on his face.

"Oh great! She loves him! Talk about unrequited love eh, Fox?!" Falco laughed sardonically, nudging Fox. Retaining a formal view on the situation wasn't easy, even for Fox.

"I was just about to say 'shut up', but now I agree with you," Fox replied, confused. "Ai… you're not… er… _flirting_ with him are you?"

Still keeping her hand on Yoshiki's face, Ai shook her head. "No, of course not," she replied. She shifted her fingers slightly, revealing two small black symbols just above his temple. She then pressed the gun hard against them.

"You knew about what I was…"

"Thinking? It took me a while, but now I know."

"Can someone please explain?!" yelled Snake. "There's only four minutes left!"

"You can't, Ai…" said Yoshiki. "Remember what I said about Koji. You deserve someone better…"

"You mean you?" Ai replied, raising her eyebrows. "No. After taking Koji away from me, I feel as though I am alone. I loved him, Yoshiki. But of course… you don't understand love at all…"

The Smashers watched in awe. Another piece of the jigsaw to add to the story. No one had expected a romantic plot twist.

"Fox, we need to get out, now!" Snake growled, shifting uneasily.

Fox looked round at the timer on the bomb. 3:28.

"Ai, just shoot him now!" yelled Fox. "Shoot him!"

But Ai was remained still, desperate to see him reveal his fear.

"Snake, get everyone in the Great Fox," hissed Fox.

Without a word, the Smashers followed Snake out of the automatic doors. Bowser offered to carry Pit outside, seeing as he was unable to stand or fly. Only Yoshiki, Ai, Fox and the superior Smashers were left in the hall.

"But Ai…" Yoshiki continued desperately. "You could be famous like me! You could have better pay, a better boyfriend, a better life…"

"Shut up!" Ai shouted, grimacing at the word 'boyfriend'.

"Ai, just kill him!" Fox interrupted. "NOW!"

2:12. Ai wanted to watch him spend his last few seconds of life in fear, but he wasn't showing it, and she didn't want to shoot unless she saw that. But time was running out, and Fox was desperate for the ordeal to end.

"You can't do it, can you, Ai?" Yoshiki smiled, holding her hand. Ai pulled away in disgust.

"I…I…"

"Let me do it," sighed Fox. "I understand. Just let me do it."

The gun trembled in her hands. Fox was right; she just wasn't the type to kill someone. Ai sadly walked away, taking one last look at her ex-boss before swiftly making her way towards the automatic doors. Fox confidently strode over to Yoshiki, blaster in hand, and then pushed it against the 'Inukai' kanji.

"…May I say one last thing?" Yoshiki asked.

The vulpine coolly tapped his trigger intolerantly. "Go ahead…"

"It seems that you have won," He shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Fox's gaze. "I still can't accept that."

"Your point being?"

"…If I must die…"

Ai narrowed her eyes. A final act for the final battle was typical for such an unrepentant puppeteer. Manipulating the last puppet would be his final wish; she could sense this.

"…then you will die with me."

"WHA-?"

00:45. Wrenching the gun from Fox's hand, Yoshiki threw himself to the marble floor, dragging the fox with him and pinning him down. The unending hatred burned through the man as he held him down. An explosion couldn't kill him, but the ruin of his business was too much to bear. Fox fuelled that hatred. It was he who planned the obstructions that he hoped would end his reign of terror. No way. He wouldn't let that happen.

"Ai, get to the ship!" Fox yelled, frantically thrashing at Yoshiki's face. Yoshiki shook with fury. The reflector on his belt caught his eye and he swiftly snatched it and threw it across the whole width of the hall.

Ai ran to retrieve it before throwing herself into the brutal melee and activating it.

"Don't be stupid! You're coming with me!" she gasped, grabbing the fallen Fox and dragging him to his feet.

Yoshiki jumped to his feet, slightly paralysed by the reflector. Sweat poured down his face, the same irate expression staring back at him in his reflection on the floor. _It doesn't end like this…_

Ai and Fox sprinted outside; the Great Fox was already hovering almost a metre off the ground, ready to take off.

"Come on, you two!" exclaimed Falco, waving from the back of the vehicle.

00:20. Revenge was tearing his heart in two. He needed Ai. Every time he saw her face, it brought back the distant memories of his previous relationship and how he destroyed it. She brought back that wonderful feeling inside him… love. Without her, he couldn't live at all.

"Ai!"

Calling her name pierced the hatred burning in his heart. Ai could hear the change in his voice, how different it sounded.

"Get in the ship," Fox ordered. Ai obeyed and was helped onto the ship by Falco.

Yoshiki was only a metre away from Fox. His face contorted into one of disgust.

"You can't take her away!" he roared, unsheathing his katana.

"Fox! Get on the ship!" Falco yelled.

00:10. Now was not the time to fight back. The vulpine turned and ran for his life, never looking back. He reached out for Falco's outstretched hand and grabbed it.

"Fox!"

Ai carelessly clambered out of the vehicle to lend a hand, but saw Yoshiki looming over Fox. The murderer lunged onto the fox, hanging onto his foot and dragging Falco with him.

"When I said you'd die, I really did mean that!" he yelled furiously.

"I don't think so!" Falco countered, desperately trying to pull his friend onto the Great Fox. Ai grabbed Fox's other hand. Yoshiki still didn't give up.

"Ai! Please don't leave me!" His voice trembled, overwhelmed by distress.

Ai ignored him.

00:05…

Time felt slower… The Great Fox rose higher…

00:04…

Yoshiki couldn't leave her… This wasn't suppose to happen…

00:03

He had it all planned out… One by one they would fall victim to his malice…

00:02…

Fox was still suspended in the air… Yoshiki couldn't let him go… No, the damage he had caused…

00:01…

And Koji… Dying… or dead…

00:00…

**BOOOOM…**

…Plumes of crimson viciously ripped everything in sight… Falco and Ai were thrown backwards into the ship … The Great Fox was caught in a death-defying cycle of barrel-rolls as it tore through space…

…Fox was gone…

The blankets were still strewn across the floor of the ship, cushioning the fall of Ai and Falco. The extreme heat and shock of the explosion had terrified them, especially when they found out who was missing.

Ai stared into the nothingness outside. A mournful atmosphere shrouded the room, even for those who hadn't witnessed the scene. No one could say anything, mainly because the ship with still turning, but also because everyone was expecting someone else to speak up.

Eventually, that did happen,

"…Why…?" A faint voice spoke out; a question with many answers which couldn't be told. "…W-why did he…? Ai, is he really…?"

Falco whipped his head round and looked at Ai. The girl nodded sadly, burying her head into one of the blankets. Shock prevented any more tears to fall. It still felt like a nightmare… A long, terrifying nightmare…

"…No… I know he… Fox…"

It was impossible to console him. No one attempted to do so. Avoiding everyone's gaze, Falco silently left the room to take over the driving from Samus.

It's impossible to define a horizon in space, but now, several miles away, a cloud of flames, smoke and debris burned on a distant planet…

* * *

**And that...it such a sad end to a chapter! Poor Fox. Another Smasher gone, I'm afraid. And what about the superior Smashers? Where are Fumiko and Koji and who was that strange man?! Next chapter is the last chapter, and all will be revealed...**

**Please review!**


	16. A Captain's Revenge

**Kyoko: And now... the final chapter!**

**Mario: Mama mia! It's over already?!**

**Kyoko: Yep, and it's a bit sad too...**

**Luigi: Oh noes!**

**Kyoko: Oh, and by the way, that part about Samus on the ship: she jumped on when no one was looking, OK?**

**Mario and Luigi: ... OK.**

**Kyoko: And now, the disclaimer!**

**Fox: Me! JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own Yoshiki Inukai, Koji Konda, Takeshi Deguchi, Ai Hoshino and Fumiko Kawai.**

_

* * *

_

_I can't bear the silence anymore. It feels… lonely. I know I'm not the only one. Right now, all we feel is self-pity, and when we are too tired to feel that, its just emptiness. In less than a month, some of us have been held hostage, mentally tortured and wounded and now, as the final day of battle comes to an end, I am sad to say that we have lost many lives._

_Death continues to haunt us. We all hope that Yoshiki really did die in the blast. I would have loved to have witnessed his pain, even though it would never compensate for the agony he caused and enjoyed. His face… it burns into my memory. That smile… it sends a shiver down my spine… The Smashers have won the war, but we can't feel happiness. Once a good friend or someone you love is gone, nothing can ease your pain._

_Ai… I can't talk to her. I don't know what to say. She never wanted to get caught up in this in the first place. And Koji… the pain he must have felt before his death, and on his own too. Ai still loves him; she can't accept that he's dead. Yoshiki had some nerve to admit that he loved Ai. He has no idea what love is._

_As for the rest of them, I don't know what to say. Mario and Luigi… not once have they talked to anyone except each other, and even when they did, it was barely a whisper. Surprisingly, Ganondorf does actually feel some sadness when it comes to the death of Link and Zelda. And when it came to throwing Samus out of the ship, she made the job a little easier by magically disappearing. So, to be blunt, no one actually said anything so there really is nothing to report right now._

_So… Mission complete? No. Heh, I've just looked back on my writing with a smug look and thought to myself 'So this is what I've been feeling, eh?'. Yeah, the only good point about the adventure is improving my writing I guess. Creative writing comes from experience. A dangerous or heartbreaking situation lets these feelings surface… Ha! Listen to me go on about some crap about creativity! Since when have I tried to write creatively?! I'm going mad… I'll go back to the point._

_Well, here I am talking about everyone else and I haven't even mentioned myself much. Writing eases the pain slightly I guess, and not just the physical stuff like that bullet to the shoulder. I'm glad I'm keeping this to myself…_

_Fox, a great friend of mine…he's gone. It's strange to think that he really is gone. As far as everyone else is concerned, I'm the captain now. It doesn't feel right at all. I know my rank in the team and it certainly isn't captain!_

_I've never once spoken of him to anyone else on the journey back to the Smash Mansion, even when the Smashers asked how I felt. Throughout the whole ordeal he was there sorting us out, putting us into teams. I don't think we would have lasted a day on Revolution Smash._

_Yeah, Fox is the main reason why I'm writing this now. Those great adventures we had… the final battle with Yoshiki reminded of those battles with Andross! They were great times. And then there was me calling him 'moron' in the background… I suppose he didn't mind, but I guess could have showed him a little more respect, even if we were good friends._

_That's it. I really don't want to write anymore. I think I'm the only one who hasn't cried yet, but I don't think I can last for long. As long as no one reads this, I'm alright._

_Falco Lombardi_

* * *

Ai ran through the Smash Mansion, tears streaming from her eyes. She had no idea where she was going, but what she did know was that Koji was in the mansion. Brushing her long brown hair out of her face, she came to a stop, fretfully stopping to look at the signs on the wall. 

"Where is it…?" she breathed, running her fingers over the list of rooms. "Ah! The hospital!"

Tapping the name as if to make it embed itself in her mind, she carried on running. Ai reached the next floor, breathless. Her eyes were wide with fear as she searched for the hospital. The Smash Mansion was huge; almost as big as Revolution Smash and with an absence of malevolent intention hidden in the walls.

Finally, she made it. Ai hastily opened the door to find that the news was true. Dr Mario greeted her solemnly.

"You're Ai, aren't you?" he asked, not looking at her as he frantically rushed back and forth from his desks with an assortment of chemicals and injections. Before he gave her a chance to reply, he carried on, "I'm so sorry, please sit down."

Ai could clearly see Koji's head propped onto a white pillow, his face almost as pale as the sheets he lay in. Then she looked next to him; Fumiko sat on a chair with her head in her hands.

"Fumiko…" Ai said, surprised. "I thought you didn't escape!"

The teen slowly lifted her head, her pink hair covering her tearful eyes. "Oh Ai… It was so… I-I'm sorry…"

"Please sit down," Dr Mario interrupted, nodding towards a chair in the corner of the room.

Angst rose within her chest. As she made her way toward the chair, the seriousness of the doctor's voice unnerved her. She knew what was going to be said, she could tell.

"Ai," Dr Mario began, sitting down next to her. "Are you OK?"

Ai stared at the motionless body of Koji. Tears streamed from her eyes, she couldn't say anything.

"Ai… I'm sorry to say this, but…"

Ai closed her eyes. If Koji really was dead… Or even if he was dying… She felt her heart rip in two.

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. Since you're his girlfriend, I would like you to consider whether or not I should continue the life support. If he continues the life support, I'm afraid he will die in pain. Either way, I'm afraid that Koji will die."

Ai shuddered at his words. She shook her head, turning away from him, her eyes stinging. "Oh…" was all she could say.

"I saved Fumiko and Koji when everyone else was in the entrance hall," continued Dr Mario.

"…Thank you," Ai replied. "I was certain that he had died in the blast."

Fumiko turned round and smiled weakly at Ai. "It was my fault, Ai. I didn't know that he was in the same room until started looking for the TV remote. I was so selfish… And to think I loved Yoshiki…"

"You loved him?" said Ai, a hint of anger evident in her voice. "I was told by Snake that Peach and Zelda loved him too. He was poison, Fumiko. Why would anyone love him?"

"…I don't know." Fumiko replied, changing her mind of what she was really going to say.

"So… what will you do, Ai?"

Ai had been hoping that the doctor would never ask her again. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and walked towards the bed in which Koji lay.

"I… I don't want to decide. I want him to live. Is there any chance that he'll survive?"

"He had been left for dead for about an hour before I found him. There's almost no chance of him surviving if you choose either option."

Ai pondered each option, watching the electrocardiogram move slower. Fumiko and Dr Mario waited in suspense.

"I...Dr Mario… Please turn the machine off. I can't bear to see him in pain."

She heard Fumiko whimper as she held her head in her hands again. Dr Mario retained his steady, solemn look.

"Very well, Ai," he murmured, placing a hand on her shoulder. The girl crouched down to Koji's level and held his cold hands. "Are you sure about this?"

Ai nodded, her throat burning. Standing, she leaned over and gently kissed Koji.

"Ai…" Fumiko rose from her seat and put an arm around her. Doctor Mario made his way towards the heart monitor and looked back at Ai as if waiting for one last look of approval. Ai nodded again and took a step back towards the door.

Dr Mario sighed as his hand wavered over the button that would soon end Koji's life. Ai couldn't stand it.

"I'm sorry!"

Pulling away from Fumiko, Ai ran out of the door before anyone could say anything else. The regret that lingered within her… _What have I done? There was still a chance of him surviving if I left him on that machine… Oh Koji, I'm so… so sorry…_

Ai gasped for breath as she hurtled down the stairs, the memory of Koji vivid in her mind. The corridors were deserted; everyone stayed in their rooms for most of the day, only going out when it was time to eat.

Eventually, Ai's legs gave way and she fell to the floor, inconsolable as she wept. The walls echoed her sadness as the clouds obscured the sun and cast a dark shadow over the hallway. For a second Ai thought she could hear someone talking behind the doors, but didn't take much notice.

She realised that she needed to talk to someone. She felt so alone in the dark halls. It reminded her of Yoshiki's mansion, shrouded in his vice, an ominous shadow in every corner. Ai stumbled to her feet and knocked on the nearest door.

"WHAT? DIDN'T I SAY GO AWAY?! SHEESH!"

The reply startled her, even though the voice was familiar. "I'm sorry," she replied quietly. "I just need to talk to someone. I've just seen Koji and… I just feel so…alone. Please, I know you're lonely too."

There was a short pause followed by a sigh.

"Fine,"

Ai smiled and opened the door, breathing deeply to calm herself. It was a strange friendship between Ai and Falco. They were so different yet they got on so well, and though others wouldn't usually confide in him, Ai didn't feel intimidated by Falco at all.

"So," Falco sighed wearily. He lay on top of his bed with a pen and some paper. The room was amazingly tidy despite his casual, lazy appearance. Then again, the room hadn't been touched for weeks. "What's the problem?"

Ai walked into the room and shut the door. "Well, I… it's a long story. I don't really feel I can speak to anyone else. I know you better than anyone else."

Falco raised his eyebrows at the comment. "Must be serious, then,"

"It is," Ai answered. "It's about Koji."

"Sit down then." said Falco firmly, patting the space next to him.

Ai walked over, took her shoes off then sat on the bed. She took a quick glance at the writing on the paper before realising why she came.

"Oh, well… Dr Mario saved Koji and Fumiko and… Dr Mario said it was my decision whether he was kept on a life support machine or not. H-he says that… t-that either way, Koji will die…"

She found it uncomfortable to start crying in front of him. She swallowed and continued, "I d-decided that he… w-will have be taken off of the l-life support b-because he won't be in p-pain which Dr Mario said would happen if he wasn't…"

Falco started fiddling with his pen, tapping it on his paper. "Poor Koji… when did this happen?"

"A few minutes ago," Ai replied, choking. "I c-couldn't bear t-to see him die…"

"I know," Falco sympathised, avoiding her gaze. "I must have been hard…"

Falco silently cursed at his feeble attempt to comfort her. It was something he hadn't really done before. They both felt the same thing, a deep sadness, yet Falco just couldn't show his. He felt as though hiding his feelings was part of his reputation and that to reveal them would make him a fool.

"Either way he would have died, so… I just d-did what I though w-was best…"

Ai's voiced became high pitched as she struggled to hold back another onslaught of tears. Falco became uneasy as he looked at her.

"Oh… What's this?"

Ai's voice softened a little as she studied the paper next to the bird.

"Oh, er… well it's nothing really." said Falco, trying not to snap. "Oh fine, you can read it."

Ai picked up the paper and read it. She was shocked and moved by the writing, especially about what he wrote about her. She smiled and almost laughed at the part where Falco mocked his own creativity.

"This is…great," she smiled, looking through it again. "Is this part of your diary or something?"

"No, you could say it's a review of my thoughts after the adventure." Falco replied.

"…I'm sorry about Fox."

"Thanks. And… I'm sorry about Koji,"

Mentioning his name again made Ai feel ill. Tears filled her eyes yet she forced herself not to shed them. Once again a worrying feeling rose within Falco. He watched her avoid his gaze and bite her lip; allowing only two tears to fall onto her cheeks.

"Ai…"

She didn't stop staring ahead.

"Just because I'm not showing my emotion… it doesn't mean that you can't show yours."

Suddenly a huge weight lifted off of Ai's shoulders. She held her breath for a few seconds.

"…It's OK, you can cry. Some people are strong about these things, some people aren't. Koji wouldn't want you to be like this, but-"

Ai gazed at him, trembling.

"…but some people need to show their sadness to get it off of their chest. I can see you suffering. You can't hold onto it, and I can see why you are. Is it because you're trying to be like me and forget it?"

His voice was calm. Ai nodded slowly.

"Well, you know me. I've seen so many distressing things that I learn to forget them. You don't need to be like me."

"Y-you d-don't mind if I…" Ai's voice trailed away, and Falco nodded, not a trace of irony evident on his face.

"Like I said, it's OK…"

Ai, perplexed, smiled weakly, unsure of what to do next. Falco sighed loudly and, before she could so anything else, tightly embraced Ai. She was temporarily stunned by his actions, then relaxed, understanding that he really didn't mind at all, and let her head fall onto his shoulder and wept. The pain of Koji dying and the anger towards Yoshiki burned in her memory, flowing from her mind in the tears she cried. It was a relief that she knew she had at least one friend to turn to in the mansion, a friend who wasn't as he seemed.

Falco calmly listened to her, amazed at what he had just done. His own sadness faded away as he held her. About half an hour later, the room was still and silent. Ai had closed her eyes, a peaceful expression on her face as she lay motionless against him. It took a few seconds for Falco to realise that Ai had fallen asleep; the crying had drained all of her energy.

He lay back and breathed deeply. With his free hand he picked up his review and read it again before dropping it over the side of the bed.

The whole mansion was now perfectly still. It had never been like this before, even before Yoshiki came. No one was particularly concerned about Crazy Hand either, even though they hadn't seen him for ages. It was likely that he was still in the mansion, wrecking his office and other crazy things that his brother would never even think of doing.

So, as all of the Smashers lay in the tranquil stillness, they thought of those lost in the battle, the loneliness, the regrets. Falco decided to let fatigue defeat him and let himself fall asleep next to Ai.

* * *

Later that day, a sudden loud shout boomed through the entire mansion. 

"HELLO, SMASHERS!! Ahem, welcome back. Did people die?! Oh yes yes yes people DID die, didn't they! I'VE PLANNED A FUNERAL SO COME ALONG TO THE GARDEN, PLEASE!!"

Ai stirred. The voice had woken her from her dream, one which she was enjoying. Falco also woke and started moaning about Crazy Hand.

"Are you awake, Ai?" he asked.

"Um, yeah," Ai replied, yawning.

It was a lot darker outside now. It was almost seven o' clock. Around the mansion, everyone made their way towards the garden where Crazy Hand waited for them. They all felt reluctant in going to a funeral just a few hours after they arrived at the mansion, especially since they all felt tired. Plus, Crazy Hand was bound to do something annoying.

"Ah! There you are!" He greeted the Smashers happily, pointing at the seats around him. The Smashers and Ai sat down and waited for Crazy Hand to begin.

"…I'VE MISSED YOU GUYS SO MUCH! Where…have…you…been?! I was so lonely."

A few crickets chirped in the background. Crazy Hand found himself quite amusing and started to fly round in circles to encourage the crowd to laugh. But there was no laughter.

"Where's Master Hand?" he asked half a minute later. "And Peach and Ike and Ness and Link and Zelda and… There are loads of us missing. Does everyone know the funeral is today?"

"Crazy Hand!" exclaimed Mario. "They're not here because they're dead!"

The hand fell silent.

"Yeah! Ten of the Smashers have died!" added Wario. "Oh yeah, and then Takeshi died, then Koji, then Yoshiki died too!"

The Smashers whispered to each other as they watched Crazy Hand fall limp.

"Crazy Hand…. are you OK?" asked Diddy.

The hand had never been so quiet. The Smashers stopped whispering.

"…Thirteen people died and I didn't know about it?" he said, his voice shaking with fury. His tone was devoid of the stupidity which he had always spoken with.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"We couldn't waste any time trying to find you. We had little time to save the other Smashers and the SMASH! News members." Metaknight said calmly.

"If you didn't know the Smashers died, then why did you organise a funeral?" Marth questioned curiously.

The garden lights glowed mysteriously around the hand, pools of light shining on the grass. It cast dark shadows around the hand; a reflection of his mood.

"Oh, well I thought you looked upset so I thought people died, OK?" Crazy Hand snapped. "Anyway, can somebody tell me the names of those who died, please?"

There was an uneasy silence. A few heads turned around. As a matter of fact, no one really knew all the name of those who died, except one.

"Am I the only one who knows?" sighed Falco, folding his arms. "Or are you just scared of telling him?"

"Well? Who were they?" demanded Crazy.

Falco told Crazy Hand the names of who died, faltering when it came to Fox. The hand clenched into a fist.

"I see…" he breathed. "Well, as I haven't really prepared a speech or anything, so… I'll leave you here to… er, discuss and stuff…"

With that, the hand swiftly floated past the Smashers and back into the mansion. A cool evening breeze blew through the garden, resuming the haunting quietness around them. A few Smashers stood up and turned to leave. The only ones that remained were Ai, Falco, Marth, Roy, Snake and Metaknight.

"That was… disappointing," sighed Snake. "I was hoping for a speech or some sort of memorial or something…"

"I agree," said Roy.

"Hey, weren't you supposed to be in the hospital with Pit?" Metaknight inquired, his eyes narrowing behind his grey mask.

"Er, yeah, but I was let out early. It wasn't too serious."

Ai silently slipped away from the group and wandered through the grounds of the mansion, absorbed by the beauty of the gardens and the grand fountain at its centre. She forced herself to not think about Koji and the other Smashers who had died, but when she did, she couldn't help but think, "The Smashers we know are dead, but another personality now survives within them. They must have survived the blast, but left their true personalities behind… Oh, I don't know…"

Her reflection shone in the water against the sunset. Ai couldn't help thinking that it could be possible that the other Smashers were alive. And then there was the thought of Yoshiki's last words … _If I must die… then you will die with me…Ai! Please don't leave me!_ ...She knew that an explosion wouldn't have killed him.

"Hey, Ai!"

Two figures walked towards her, their capes waving in the wind.

"Ai, what're you doing here?" said Marth, running towards her.

"Oh… nothing…" Ai replied, not looking at them.

They sat down on either side of her; she still didn't look up.

"I don't know if you'll be OK if I ask you this, but… what _did_ happen to Koji? He was in the hospital but no one mentioned his condition." said Roy.

Ai took a sharp intake of breath as Koji was mentioned again, yet she didn't allow herself to cry again.

"He…He died…" she whispered. "He had a life support machine but he had little chance of survival either way. He was in so much pain… I had to stop the treatment for him…"

The swordsmen lowered their heads in thought.

"I was sure he would be OK…" said Marth. "I'm so sorry."

"Please don't be sorry, it wasn't your fault."

Ai stood and quickly moved away from them. Marth and Roy ran to join her again.

"Look, Ai, we're sorry if we upset you," said Roy.

A small smile crept across Ai's face. "I can't cry about this anymore. Falco helped me to realise that its best to release your sadness, and that's what I did. I can't feel any more sadness."

"Hey, Ai!"

Just over the hill, Falco waved at them. "You OK?"

"Yeah!" Ai grinned, secretly hiding the sadness she still had left.

As the sun began to set, the Smashers made their way to their rooms. There was a spare room for Ai prepared by Mr Game and Watch and Diddy; a spare TV and a few of their own belongings including a radio were in the room. Ai was grateful for their kindness, and lay back in bed, blinking in the darkness, unable to get to sleep. The mansion was quiet again.

Unfortunately, now that she was alone, it dawned on her just how much Koji meant to her. Although Falco's advice was reassuring, she knew it would take more than a day to get over what had happened.

As midnight came, Ai clutched her pillow and wept once more.

_I am…truly alone…_

* * *

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" 

It wasn't Crazy Hand. It sounded too… deliberate. Crazy just shouted for no reason. Ai sat up in bed as if electrocuted, startled by the shout. Someone was knocking on her door.

"Quickly! Let me in!"

Dazed, Ai reluctantly got out of bed and opened the door. It was Falco.

"Ai! I've decided!"

"Wha-?"

"I've decided, Ai... I will be captain. I'll do exactly what Fox would have wanted me to do!"

"Huh? W-what's that?"

Falco rushed into the room, his eyes bright. "I'm going after Yoshiki. He's still alive, I know he is. He's taken Koji… there was an invasion last night. He disappeared before anyone could stop him. I think he's planning on making Koji into a superior Smasher…"

Ai froze, her throat started burning again. "No…"

Falco stopped to catch his breath. "…I'm afraid so. The Smashers and I are going after him. Do you want to come?"

"…I think so…"

"I think that' a yes!"

A loud, high-pitched voice came out of nowhere and startled Ai. She cautiously peered around the door and gasped.

"W-who's that?!" she exclaimed.

"Oh! They've arrived!" said Falco excitedly. He ran out of the door to greet the creatures who stood outside. Ai nervously stepped out of her room.

"These are the members of the StarFox team: Slippy and Peppy. They'll be joining us this time."

The two creatures, a hare and a toad –Ai found the strange voice belonged to him- in the same style of jacket and trousers as Falco greeted Ai as she bowed politely.

"Looks like we missed out on a lot," commented Peppy. "You'll have to explain more about this Yoshiki 'cause right now I really don't get what's going on!"

"Don't worry, it's a long story," replied Falco, pulling Ai with him as he walked down the hall. "Come on, we're expecting the reporters any minute now. I want to get out of here before they start questioning us!"

They rushed down the corridor. Ai stumbled over her feet as the sunlight shone in her stinging eyes. As they exited the mansion she saw that the Smashers were already on board the Great Fox as it stood proudly against the brilliant sunrise.

Slippy and Peppy ran ahead and boarded the ship. Falco turned to Ai.

"Oh… my head…"

"Still tired?" laughed Falco, shielding his eyes against the sun. "Don't worry, you can catch up on sleep as soon as we get on board. We'll be meeting Krystal later too."

"…Krystal?"

"Look, I can't explain everything now. Get inside and join the others,"

The teen wearily ambled towards the ship and clambered inside. Falco admired the ship with pride.

"Yoshiki, the battle hasn't even started…"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

**Yaaaay! Sequel! I hope this was a good last chapter. I haven't played any StarFox games but somehow I thought I needed to add more Fox and Falco than anyone else. Somehow it's become more centered around them than anyone else! I'll try and focus on other Smashers in the next story. Anyway... I'M SORRY KOJI! When I was writing this chapter I was thinking 'Should he die? Should he not die?' but in the end... I killed him! As for Yoshiki, no, he's not dead! And what about the Smashers? You'll have to wait for the next story!**

**I won't be writing the next story straight away. Instead I'll be concentrating on my other story, 'Bore da, Smashers!' which is funny, witty and full of humour!**

**Thanks to notfromearth7 and Gooey for your reviews!**

**Until the next story... see ya!**


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